 I'm delighted to be here again to review the passing out parade of another direct short service course, course 28 of 2019. For the 188 of you that are passing out this morning, there is no doubt that today marks a special day in your lives and the lives of your families and loved ones. This is the beginning of a challenging but rewarding career as officers in the Nigeria Air Force. Given the quality of training that you have received, I'm confident that you will be able to cope with the demanding tasks ahead. As you already know, this profession you have chosen requires absolute discipline, loyalty and hard work. It is much more than just securing a job or earning a salary and much more than just getting a chance to wear the coveted uniform or wield weapons. This is the ultimate form of civic sacrifice to defend the territorial integrity of your country and to put your life on the line for the safety and welfare of millions of your countrymen and women. There is no no-clad occupation and this one that you have chosen are passing out at a time when our nation is grappling with an insurgency in the northeast and the challenges of kidnapping and armed banditry in other parts of the country. You will therefore have come to terms with the fact that the days and weeks and months ahead of you will be extremely busy as you will fulfill your responsibilities to the military and to the nation. While the armed forces have effectively contained the territorial ambitions of the Boko Haram terrorists by substantially degrading their capacity to attack and wreak havoc, they remain intent on shedding blood and sowing fear. There is also the threat of the Islamic State of West Africa province, Iswah, in the Lake Chad Islands and parts of Southern Monk. But also more often these days these insurgents are focusing on soft targets, opportunistic attacks on isolated military units as well as an increasingly sophisticated propaganda aimed at making them out to be more organized and lethal than they really are. This ever-increasing reliance on propaganda is a reminder that this is not only a battleground war, it is just as much an information and narrative war. Wailing hearts and minds has always been important in military warfare. It is even more so in a century defined by information and communication technologies. As the 21st century military officers, how you project your strength and confidence to your enemies, and this work, especially using social and digital media tools, is as important as the sophistication of the conventional arms and ammunition that you wield. But to do so effectively also means that you must take the time and trouble to fully understand the nature of the threats that confront us, the narratives and the philosophies that underlie those threats. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, Boko Haram is not the only national threat confronting us. There are the clashes between crop farmers and pastoralists as well as the incidences of kidnapping, armed banditry and militancy. In recent weeks, the president in collaboration with state governors has been reviewing the security architecture of the country. It has involved not just the armed forces, but also the police who have recently announced their new policing strategies. This initiative involves the recruitment and training of policemen in each local government and ensuring that such policemen remain in their local governments, working with local and traditional authorities to maintain peace and security. As the president has said, security is a 24-hour occupation involving continuous investments in strategy and innovation. We'll continue to take all necessary measures to tackle all forms of criminality across the country and to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of all Nigerians. The Niger Air Force will as part of the armed forces and has continued to be at the forefront of our national security interventions. I note in particular the extremely successful digitally accurate bombings of terrorist hideouts by the Niger Air Force. In April, the destruction of the Boko Haram Mechanic Workshop in Bono. In May, the airstrikes on Tubun Hamam, on the fringes of Lake Chad, inflicting heavy casualties on the Islamic state of West Africa province forces under the Air Task Force of Operation Lafayar Dole, in June airstrikes in the Sambisa Forest, further eliminating the insurgents. It is particularly commendable that you are adopting measures to ensure that the resources available to you are used judiciously in a manner that delivers optimal results and maximum value for money. I'm aware that in the line of doing more with less, which is one of the guiding philosophies of the Buhari administration, several moribund assets of the Air Force, aircrafts in particular, have been reactivated in the last four years and a lot of effort has gone into building local technical capacity to fix and maintain your operational assets. In addition, the increasing emphasis of the Niger Air Force on local innovation is noted. The recent launch of the Segu Mi, Nigeria's first operational locally developed unmanned aerial vehicle is confirmation that you are on the right path. I charge you to continue to be open to innovative ideas and collaborations with the academia and also with the private sector. I'd like to leave today's graduating cadets with this important reminder. This nation is great and can only be greater. We are Africa's largest economy by GDP. States of Nigeria have larger economies than many African states. We have become the last frontier for major economic growth and development. We are the world's largest growers of cassava and yams. And we are top five in the world in Sodom, in Millet. We are approaching self-officiencies in partnerized production. Our potential in technology and entertainment have been attracting huge attention. First is the market. We have 174 million GSM phones. We are top 10 telephone users in the world. And we have the highest percentage of people who use the internet on their mobile phones in the whole world. We are also number two in mobile internet banking in the world. 17 million Nigerians are on Facebook and several other social media platforms. Microsoft has announced that it will establish a 100 million dollar African development center in Nigeria because they recognize our capacity. We are today building our own drones. Seigoume is one perfect example of that. But not only are we building drones, we are also making our own spare parts for our aircrafts. We are also manufacturing today several different transport carriers, personal APCs, and all sorts of different military platforms. All of these are things that Nigerians are doing here in this country. Just last week, we saw at the Army Day, mine sweepers, sophisticated mine sweepers that are actually manufactured here in Nigeria. In a few short years, this country will be by far the greatest military force in Africa and certainly the most developed economy in Africa. All of these, all of these have been built on the sacrifices of many, the blood and sweat of many men and women, especially of the armed forces. What will undermine our efforts now and in the future is disunity. All of those who are preaching narratives of division, especially along ethnic and religious lines. We must resist all who try to destroy our present gains and in particular our future. The future of our country is bright. All we need to do is to keep focused, not to allow any to preach any divisions amongst us. If we remain stable and united, everything that we desire for a great country will be ours. As I conclude this address, let me commend the Chief of Air Staff for providing inspiring leadership for our Air Force. Your fast-sightedness and innovativeness has greatly advanced the prestige and capacity of the Air Force. Our gratitude also goes to everyone involved in the training that these graduating cadets have enjoyed during their time here. The Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command, the Commandant of the Military Training Center and all the hardworking men and women who are the committed tutors and trainers of this graduating cadets. As gatekeepers of a major pipeline of talent for the Nigerian armed forces, I implore you to continually strive to devise ways of improving the quality of training that you provide. To the Governor of Kaduna State, thank you for being a welcoming and supportive host to various units and businesses of our armed forces. On our part as a federal government, we will continue to give priority attention to the operational requirements and the welfare of the personnel of the Nigerian armed forces. Finally, let me extend on behalf of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Mohamed Uwari, and on behalf of the entire country, our heartfelt congratulations to the graduating cadets. This is both the end of one important journey and the start of another, a longer and potentially more fulfilling moment. We rejoice with you and members of your families, friends and loved ones. We have every reason to be proud of you and what you have achieved and to look forward with excitement to what the future holds for you. On this note, I wish you all happy celebrations today and a safe journey back to your various destinations. Thank you and God bless the federal