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History of The Nigerian Air Force |
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Former Chiefs of Air Staffs
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AIR MARSHAL IBRAHIM M ALFA (1984 – 1990) |
When Air Marshal Ibrahim Mahmud Alfa joined the NAF, little did he know that he
was to later become the first NAF officer to attain the highly esteemed rank of
Air Marshal.
Born on 14 August 1946, at Garkida, Adamawa State, he commenced his educational
career at the Central Primary School, Jimeta, Yola in 1948 and went on to complete
his primary and secondary school education in 1960 at Yola Middle School later known
as the Provincial Secondary School. Soon after his graduation, he enrolled for his
Higher School Certificate (HSC) course in Barewa College, Zaria which he completed
in 1962. |
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A new chapter began in his life on August 14 1963, his twentyfirst birthday, when
he enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force as a student pilot. On 28 August 1963, he
was flown along with 83 other Nigerians, to Uetersen, Germany for training. He was
in Germany till 21 June 1966 when he was recalled home with the others and commissioned
into the Nigerian Air Force as an officer with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, he commanded the NAF Detachment at Benin. He attended
the MiG 15 and 17 Conversion Course at Dakar in the then Soviet Union (USSR) in
August 1967 and Instructor Course on MiG 15 and 17 aircraft at NAF Advanced Flying
Training Wing, (AFTW), Kano in June 1970. Thereafter, he undertook the Task Organisation
Course on MiG aircraft at NAFAFTW, Kano in 1970. Ibrahim Alfa went for the T-38
Instructor Pilot course at Lockheed and Randolph Air Force Base, in the United States
from December 1972 to August 1973. In November 1974 he attended a conversion course
on MiG 21 followed by a back seat check in USSR. He was appointed a member of the
Supreme Military Council in 1975 as one of its younger members with the rank of
Group Captain. During this period, he attended the Advanced Staff College, Bracknel,
England. In 1978 he was appointed Military Administrator of Kaduna State where he
doubled as Commander, Ground Training Group. He also attended the Air War College
at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, USA, in June 1980.
On his return from the Air War College a year later, Ibrahim Alfa was appointed
the Air Officer Operations (AOO), with the rank of Air Commodore. Air Marshal Alfa
also attended the International Defence Management Course, Lagos in 1982. He was
appointed the eighth CAS under General Mohammadu Buhari’s regime on 1 January 1984.
He was retained as CAS during General Ibrahim Babangida’s administration and was
a member of the defunct Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) as well as the Chairman
of the National Transition Committee. During his service Alfa commanded almost in
succession, virtually all NAF Commands. It was during his tenure that the NAF Military
School for Girls was opened in Jos. As part of his quest to build the NAF into a
self-reliant organisation, he was instrumental to the NAF and Messrs Dornier-AIEP
indigenous aircraft-manufacturing venture, which culminated in the commencement
of the local production of the “Air Beetle” in 1988. He was awarded the Defence
Service Medal, National Service Medal, Republic Medal, General Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying
Star and the Distinguished Service Medals. In May 1999 he was
awarded the national honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Commenting on the growth of the NAF, which reached the peak of its operational efficiency
during his tenure, Air Marshal Ibrahim Alfa stated:… our growth came about because
of the Civil War. If there had been no war, the NAF could certainly not have been
what it is now. And certainly, nobody would have recognised it because we have seen
this happen in other African countries. Where there is no war, the air force in
that country is usually taken for granted. Actually, what I will call the high point
of my tenure is that I tried as much as possible to concentrate on the proficiency
of the fighting vehicle – the aircraft itself. I had the privilege to have survived
from the war front where we lost about 80 percent of the pilots in my group. I then
came to the conclusion that the proficiency training of the NAF is supreme. Air
Marshal Ibrahim Alfa retired from military service in December 1989. Until his death
on 16 March 2000, he lived a peaceful and humble life of farming, which he combined
with private business. |
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