The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has congratulated Nigerian and international officers who graduated from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State, at a ceremony held on December 19, 2025.
Air Marshal Aneke joined the Chief of Defence Staff and other Service Chiefs at the event, which marked the graduation of Senior Course 47 and Junior Course 100, underscoring the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s commitment to professional military education and regional security cooperation.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was the Special Guest of Honour. He was represented at the ceremony by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON.
A total of 394 officers graduated from Senior Course 47, while 217 officers successfully completed Junior Course 100. The graduands comprised personnel from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as officers from 17 allied African countries—Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe.
The strong international participation reaffirmed AFCSC’s status as a regional centre of excellence for operational-level military education, promoting interoperability and shared security perspectives across the continent.
In recognition of outstanding performance, Squadron Leader N. Lord-Mallam received the Honourable Minister of Defence Award, while Squadron Leader M. I. Abdullahi won both the Chief of the Air Staff Award and the African Conference of Commandants’ Award on Senior Course 47. On Junior Course 100, Flight Lieutenant M. I. Kabir emerged winner of the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Air Staff Awards.
Following the ceremony, the CAS held a durbar with Nigerian Air Force graduands from both courses, where he addressed issues of professionalism, leadership responsibility and service expectations at various stages of their careers. He also interacted with international students, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening defence capacity and cooperation within the region.
