The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) have established a new partnership aimed at preventing terrorist infiltration and protecting schools across the country.
The collaboration was formalised during a courtesy visit to UBEC by the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on Monday.
In a statement issued by NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Air Chief stressed the importance of strengthening national education security through closer ties with key educational institutions such as UBEC. He explained that growing threats against schools make joint efforts between security agencies and education bodies more urgent than ever.
This development comes amid recent high-profile abductions, including the kidnapping of 303 schoolchildren and 12 teachers from a Catholic boarding school in Niger State, and the abduction of 24 girls from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.
Air Marshal Aneke said NAF is committed to supporting UBEC’s Safe School Programme, which aims to improve monitoring, accountability, and protection in basic education facilities, especially in vulnerable regions. He highlighted NAF’s broader role in fostering safe, inclusive, and technology-driven learning across its 33 schools—20 primary and 13 secondary—serving both military and civilian communities.
He noted that NAF has already started initiatives to strengthen teacher capacity, expand digital literacy, and upgrade facilities in its schools. Other proposed areas of partnership include expanding NAF schools to accommodate more students, joint teacher training programmes, integrating NAF institutions into UBEC’s digital education platforms, and improving quality assurance systems.
According to the CAS, enhanced collaboration with UBEC will help scale up these efforts, especially in deploying modern safe-school technologies and advanced learning tools.
UBEC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, welcomed the partnership and praised the Air Force for its contributions to national development beyond defence operations. She reiterated that safety is fundamental to functional education and that education is an essential part of national security.
She expressed UBEC’s readiness for continued technical cooperation aimed at strengthening school safety, improving learning outcomes, and enhancing resilience within Nigeria’s basic education sector.
