The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recorded a full year without a single aircraft mishap, marking a significant milestone in its efforts to entrench a proactive safety culture across its operations. This achievement was highlighted during the 2025 Safety Review Board (SRB) Meeting held at the Air Marshal MD Umar Blue Room, Headquarters NAF, Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, credited the development to a combination of strategic reforms focused on operational discipline, foresight, and professionalism. He noted that the year-long accident-free record was not by chance, but the result of sustained vigilance and safety-driven initiatives across all commands.

“This is a significant achievement that underscores the collective commitment of our personnel. Safety is not a one-time goal, but a continuous process requiring innovation, accountability, and foresight,” the CAS emphasized.

According to Air Marshal Abubakar, the NAF’s aviation safety success in 2025 was anchored on key interventions such as intensified safety training, improved command oversight, and predictive safety management practices. So far, over 1,300 airmen and 157 officers have undergone safety training this year alone, bringing the total number of safety-trained personnel to 1,199. The CAS stressed that universal safety education remains a top priority in tandem with ongoing technological upgrades.

“No matter how advanced our aircraft may be, they are only as effective as the safety systems that support them,” he stated, adding that the Federal Government’s investments in modern platforms must be matched with a resilient safety infrastructure.

Air Marshal Abubakar urged senior commanders to lead by example and ensure safety is never reduced to a routine formality. “Most aviation accidents are caused not by fate, but by lapses in judgment or procedure,” he warned, while commending the consistent convening of Safety Action Group meetings by Air Officers Commanding. He also called for deeper accountability at the unit level.

In his remarks, the Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Abidoye, revealed that 58 NAF units were evaluated in the first half of 2025, with safety inspections completed in 31. He also highlighted the ongoing safety seminars conducted across various commands to reinforce awareness and institutionalize safety as a foundational value.

The SRB meeting ended with a renewed leadership commitment to make safety a defining ethos of NAF’s operational identity—beyond metrics, as a culture ingrained at every level of command.