NAF’s first serving AVM promoted to professor, reaffirms R&D commitment

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Governing Council of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has appointed Air Vice Marshal (AVM) OC Ubadike as Professor of Aerospace Engineering, marking him as the first serving Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer to achieve this rank.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame described the appointment as a landmark for the NAF and a boost to its research and development (R&D) efforts.

Ubadike, an accomplished scholar, holds a PhD and Master’s in Aerospace Engineering and Aerospace Vehicle Design from Cranfield University, UK, three additional Master’s degrees from Ahmadu Bello University and the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), and a First-Class Bachelor’s in Electrical Electronics Engineering from NDA.

He led the development of the NAF’s indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), showcasing the NAF’s growing technical capabilities.

The council also appointed retired AVM Paul Jemitola as Professor of Aerospace Engineering. Jemitola, former AFIT Commandant, holds a Master’s and PhD from Cranfield University and led the NAF UAV project as its lead designer.

A chartered engineer in the UK, he now serves as Acting Vice Chancellor of Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, Lagos.

Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar hailed the appointments, stating, “We will continue to invest in our flagship training institutions to minimise dependence on foreign expertise.”

The NAF’s focus on education, capacity-building, and R&D aims to foster homegrown expertise to address national security and aerospace challenges.