Dare Babalola
The Nigerian Army has announced that it is expanding its aviation wing and seeking training opportunities for its pilots in South Africa to enhance its operational capabilities.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, made this announcement in Abuja on Tuesday while meeting with the Chief of the South African Army, Lawrence Mbatha, who was on an official visit to Nigeria.
Shaibu stated that the Nigerian Army acknowledged the South African Army’s robust aviation establishment and was keen to tap into available training opportunities for its personnel.
“The issue of Nigerian Army aviation is very important to us. Of course, we are fully aware that the South African Army has a very good aviation establishment,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Army was currently developing its aviation capability and expected the programme to grow significantly in the coming years.
“Currently, we are building our Army aviation and would like to leverage opportunities available to train our pilots in South Africa. Nigerian Army aviation will start to grow exponentially in the next few years, and we are leveraging that,” Shaibu said.
The army chief explained that the collaboration would form part of broader military cooperation between both countries, particularly in training and capacity building.
“These are opportunities that we will bring to the table and also opportunities that we would like to explore in South Africa,” he said.
Shaibu also said Nigeria was looking at expanding training opportunities for its medical personnel through South African military health institutions.
He said the Nigerian Army was seeking avenues to train more doctors in specialised areas to improve the quality of medical support for troops.
Shaibu said, “Other areas that we can look forward to include training for our medical personnel in South African military health services and institutions.
“Currently, we are looking forward to avenues to train additional doctors in critical areas like forensic pathology as well as critical care, especially relating to trauma injuries.”
He noted that further details on the proposed areas of collaboration would be worked out through continued engagements between the two armies.
Mbatha said the visit was part of efforts to build on existing bilateral military protocols and agreements between the two nations, particularly in areas of training, knowledge exchange and operational collaboration.
The South African Army chief noted that the relationship between both countries dated back many years and was not limited to recent diplomatic engagements.
According to him, Nigeria played a significant role in the training and development of South African personnel during the country’s transition period, stressing that the long-standing relationship between the two nations should be further strengthened.
He said, “My visit is not to start a new relationship but to build on the existing one. South Africa enjoys a very strategic relationship not only with the Nigerian Armed Forces but also with the people of Nigeria.”
Mbatha added that the purpose of the visit was to learn from the operational experiences of the Nigerian Army, particularly in dealing with terrorism and insurgency, while also sharing South Africa’s own experiences.
He said both countries share the same continent and similar security challenges, stressing the need for African nations to collaborate in addressing threats to regional stability.
