NAF Commissions Renovated Schools, Four Solar Boreholes in Yobe's Potiskum

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commissioned renovated schools and four solar-powered boreholes as part of its special intervention projects in Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State, part of a broader push to strengthen civil-military relations across the country.

The projects, implemented under the NAF's non-kinetic operations, were inaugurated at Sabongari Primary School and selected communities within the local government area.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday K. Aneke, represented by the Air Officer Commanding, Special Operations Command, Bauchi, Air Vice Marshal A. Idriss, said the intervention was specifically designed to strengthen civil-military relations by winning the confidence of residents, building trust, and fostering cooperation between the NAF and host communities. "Globally, civil-military relations have emerged as a panacea for positively shaping national security architecture, and the NAF is fully in tune with this importance," he said.

Idriss explained that the projects were executed in selected communities in honour of senior Air Force officers hailing from the areas, disclosing that the Yobe interventions specifically were carried out in honour of the Director of Search and Rescue, Air Vice Marshal Idi Sani, an indigene of the state.

At Sabongari Primary School, the NAF renovated and furnished three blocks comprising six classrooms and three staff offices. At the Government Girls Day Secondary School, also in Sabongari, the Air Force renovated three additional blocks comprising six classrooms, a multipurpose laboratory, and four staff offices, upgrades aimed at improving learning conditions for students at both institutions.

Beyond the school renovations, the NAF also provided four solar-powered boreholes to four separate communities: Majewa, Yindiski Gakoko, Gabar da Kasuwa, and Maina Kaina, interventions intended to improve access to clean water for residents in those areas.

The Air Officer Commanding urged beneficiaries to take ownership of the newly commissioned facilities and ensure their proper use and long-term maintenance. He also called for greater collaboration between local communities and security agencies, particularly through the timely provision of useful intelligence to security personnel operating in the area, a recurring theme in NAF's civil-military engagement efforts across Nigeria's North-East, where the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign has continued to depend heavily on community cooperation.

The project's executor, Air Vice Marshal Idi Sani, said the NAF would continue supporting communities through interventions targeting critical social needs, describing the initiatives as complementary to broader government development efforts within affected states.

Representing Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni at the ceremony, the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation, Alhaji Aji Yarima Bularafa, commended the NAF for the initiative, noting that the projects aligned closely with the state government's own efforts to extend modern amenities to rural communities and improve residents' living conditions. He conveyed the governor's appreciation to the Chief of the Air Staff and the wider NAF for the continued support extended to communities across Yobe State.

The Potiskum commissioning adds to a broader pattern of non-kinetic, civil-military engagement projects carried out by Nigeria's armed forces across conflict-affected states in the North-East, where military authorities have increasingly paired security operations with social infrastructure interventions such as school renovations and water provision, an approach officials say is intended to build the community trust and intelligence-sharing cooperation considered essential to sustaining security gains in the region over the long term.