The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), through the Air Traffic Services Training Centre (ATSTC), has reinforced its role in enhancing Nigeria’s airspace safety and security with the graduation of the maiden Air Traffic Control and Surveillance Radar Course (ACSR 1/2024). The programme included 20 Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) air traffic control cadets, alongside 29 non-commissioned officers who completed the Air Traffic Control Assistant/Base Operations Upgrading Course 9/2026.
The graduation ceremony, held on 17 April 2026 at the ATSTC Parade Ground, was attended by senior military officers and civil aviation stakeholders. The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, represented by the Chief of Training, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Yusuf Dari, emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration between the NAF and NAMA. The Managing Director of NAMA, Engr Farouk Ahmed Umar, represented by Alhaji Sa’id Musa, highlighted the partnership’s role in addressing capacity gaps in air traffic control within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The training programme spanned 65 weeks for the ACSR course and four weeks for the upgrading course. It covered aerodrome control, approach procedural control, and advanced surveillance radar systems.
These competencies support safe and efficient civil aviation operations while strengthening national airspace management in support of ongoing counter-insurgency and internal security operations. Enhanced radar surveillance and air traffic control capabilities improve situational awareness, coordination, and response effectiveness in complex operational environments.
