NAF Begins Airlift of Election Materials

By Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly polls, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Tuesday commenced the airlift of electoral materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the country.

The materials were delivered to officials of INEC, Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) and security agencies.

The airlift includes day and night missions, during which both sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials were conveyed in batches.

The materials were conveyed in a C130 Hercules aircraft from the
Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja to various airports across
the country.

“The materials were duly delivered by the C-130H aircraft crew to teams of INEC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials together with security personnel waiting at the various airports,” a statement signed by NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said.

During his meeting with Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) and NAF Field
Commanders on February 1, 2019, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar had expressed the readiness of NAF to avail INEC its transport aircraft to enable expeditious movement of electoral materials as done in the past.

The statement further said that the “transport aircraft are deployed solely to provide airlift support to meet INEC’s logistics requirements, in fulfillment of NAF’s constitutional role of providing military aid to civil authority.