Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa has assumed office as the new Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The senior officer took over from Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet at a brief ceremony held at Headquarters NAF, Abuja.
In his remarks, the new Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Olusola Akinboyewa expressed profound gratitude to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar for the confidence he imposes in him to entrust him with the very great responsibility of managing the image and reputation of a great service such as the Nigerian Air Force.
Air Commodore Akinboyewa added that as his predecessor noted, a daunting responsibility and the importance of that is not lost on him at all, but he trust that by the grace of God and with the guidance of the Chief of the Air Staff and his senior colleagues, he will make the best of it.
He extolled the commendable work that has been done by the former Director of Public Relations, AVM Edward Gabkwet, his mentor and friend. "He has done such an outstanding job of projecting the Nigerian Air Force and continuing to make sure that the public is kept aware of all the efforts that go into ensuring that Nigerians are safe to go about their lawful business.
"It's important to also mention that the successes that he has recorded would not have been possible if not for the support and the synergy that we enjoy from our partners, the media, your good selves.
"Without your support, without your cooperation, the successes would not have been possible and so I want to use this opportunity to solicit that that same support, that same partnership, that same synergy should continue. I am very open to your input, to your advice. You can reach me at whatever time of the day or night.
He therefore solicited support from the media, stressing that the key thing that we need to note is that we are firm partners when it comes to securing this country and protecting the people.
"The armed forces of Nigeria and in particular the Nigerian Air Force and the media must maintain a very strong, a very firm, a very robust synergy because without that synergy the goals that we share of making Nigeria a peaceful, prosperous and safe place for our people cannot be achieved.
"And so again I want to reiterate my call for your support and for your friendship and I want to encourage you to not hesitate to give us feedback, to give us your input and to keep close contact with us as we do the work of keeping Nigeria safe and secure. I look forward to continuing the relationship that has been built over the years by my able predecessor.
He look forward to continuing this engagement to ensure that the Nigerian public for whom we all work, the people who we all serve are kept abreast of the activities, the accomplishments, the achievements and also the challenges of the Nigerian Air Force as we work to make Nigeria a safe, prosperous and peaceful place for all Nigerians to enter.
Air Commodore Akinboyewa is a member of the 43rd Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the NDA, and a Masters Degree in Security and Strategic Studies from the same institution.
Earlier, AVM Gabkwet thanked the Chief of Air Staff for giving him a second opportunity to serve the NAF as its spokesperson.
He expressed confidence that his successor would continue to project NAF and its activities, urging the media to continue to support NAF in its operations.
“He will be continuing from where I stopped.
“I strongly believe that the Chief of Air Staff could not have picked a better senior officer to continue to project the image of Nigerian Air Force to the Nigerian public.
“I strongly believe that Akinboyewa comes fully prepared for this appointment. This is because he is somebody that I have known for about 30 years now, right from our days at the Nigerian Defence Academy in the early ‘90s,” he said.
In his remarks, AVM Edward Gabkwet enjoined journalists to extend the kind of relationship which he enjoyed with them to his successor.
He explained that it was the surest way that he would be able to settle down quickly and continue to do the good work, which he was known for.
The Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), FCT Chapter, Stanley Ogadigo, lauded AVM Gabkwet’s professional way of handling, projecting and managing the image of NAF over the years.
Mr Ogadigo urged the new spokesperson to sustain the high level of professionalism of NAF’s public relations to deal with issues of reputation building and management.
According to him, reputation is a core asset that every organisation should work very hard to maintain.
He added that, being a member of NIPR, the institute would appreciate his flying its flag at the highest professional level.
Air Commodore Akinboyewa hails from Ondo West Local Government Area in Ondo State. A member of the 43rd Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the NDA, a Postgraduate Diploma in Telecommunications and Electronics Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, and a Masters Degree in Security and Strategic Studies from the NDA. Throughout his career, he has held numerous key command and staff appointments and attended various courses both locally and internationally. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the National Defence College Nigeria and an Associate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Dignitaries at the ceremony the Chairman of the Abuja Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mr. Stanley Ogadigu, President/CEO at Security Watch Africa Initiatives, Mr Patrick Agbambu, Senior Officers of the Nigerian Air Force and Defence Correspondents.