The Nigerian Army has announced plans to expand its aviation wing and is exploring opportunities to train its pilots in South Africa as part of efforts to improve its operational strength.
The Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a meeting with the Chief of the South African Army, Lawrence Mbatha, who was on an official working visit to Nigeria.
Oluyede noted that the Nigerian Army recognises the well-developed aviation structure of the South African Army and hopes to take advantage of available opportunities to train its personnel.
“The issue of Nigerian Army aviation is very important to us. Of course, we are fully aware that the South African Army has a very good aviation establishment,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Army is currently working to strengthen its aviation capability and expects the programme to expand significantly in the coming years.
“Currently, we are building our Army aviation and would like to leverage opportunities available to train our pilots in South Africa. Nigerian Army aviation will start to grow exponentially in the next few years, and we are leveraging that,” Oluyede said.
The army chief explained that the partnership would be part of wider military cooperation between both countries, especially in training and capacity development.
“These are opportunities that we will bring to the table and also opportunities that we would like to explore in South Africa,” he said.
Oluyede also revealed that the Nigerian Army plans to widen training opportunities for its medical personnel through South African military health institutions.
He said the army intends to train more doctors in specialised fields to improve medical support for soldiers.
“Other areas that we can look forward to include training for our medical personnel in South African military health services and institutions.
“Currently, we are looking forward to avenues to train additional doctors in critical areas like forensic pathology as well as critical care, especially relating to trauma injuries.”
He added that further discussions would determine the details of the proposed collaboration between the two armies.
Mbatha explained that his visit aimed to strengthen existing bilateral military agreements between the two nations, particularly in training, knowledge sharing and operational cooperation.
He said the relationship between both countries has existed for many years and goes beyond recent diplomatic interactions.
According to him, Nigeria contributed significantly to the training and development of South African personnel during the country’s transition period, noting that the long-standing partnership should be further deepened.
“My visit is not to start a new relationship but to build on the existing one. South Africa enjoys a very strategic relationship not only with the Nigerian Armed Forces but also with the people of Nigeria.”
Mbatha added that the visit was also meant to study the operational experience of the Nigerian Army, especially in tackling terrorism and insurgency, while sharing South Africa’s own experiences.
He emphasised that both countries face similar security challenges on the African continent and must work together to address threats to regional stability.
Earlier in February, while receiving the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Defence, Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, Oluyede revealed that the Nigerian Army had begun expanding its aviation wing to strengthen operational capacity.
He said the move would greatly improve the military’s ability to respond to evolving security threats in Nigeria.
