AOC charges personnel to work harder during commands socio-cultural activity

 AOC charges personnel to work harder during commands socio-cultural activity 

Lagos, Jan. 25, 2026

The Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Suleh has charged personnel of the command to work harder in 2026 for improved service delivery to the society.

Suleh gave the charge on Saturday during the Base Socio-Cultural Activity (BASA) 2025 which held at Logistics Command, NAF, Ikeja, Lagos State.

Suleh said that the socio-cultural activity, was celebrated to mark the end of every year, where cultural groups from the various parts of the country displayed their culture and dances.

He explained that BASA was usually celebrated at the beginning of the following year because of the numerous engagements they had in December.

"During the activity, we also give awards to deserving officers, airmen, airwomen of every unit, best officer, best airman, best airwoman, just to recognise their effort at work.

"This is also to appreciate their performance and to encourage others, that are lagging behind to work harder.

"We also give awards for cleanliness, the best block, the best house, to encourage personnel to also tidy up their houses and their environment," Suleh said.

The AOC said that was the reason why the base was always looking clean as a result of some of these activities.

He said that one important part of the award during BASA was to boost the morale of personnel and encourage others who fell short to up their effort.

"Each soldier or officer that is best in his unit gets a certificate, a flag and an award from his commander for being the most outstanding soldier or officer in his unit.

"So, other soldiers seeing this are encouraged to perform better next year and put in the good work to be recognised during the next BASA," Suleh said.

The AOC added that the lowering of the flag and bonfire were age-old tradition of the military also observed at BASA.

"Normally, in every military unit, you will notice that by six o'clock in the morning, the flag is hoisted and then by six o'clock in the evening, it is also removed.

"This signifies the official end of working hours for that day and then six o'clock in the morning signifies the beginning of the working hours of the day," Suleh said.

The Special Guest of Honour, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Adm. Abubakar Mustapha congratulated the awardees saying it was a call for more duty.

Mustapha was represented by the commands Chief Staff Officer, Rear Admiral Nnamdi Ekwom.

The FOC said that BASA was crucial to individual and collective groups, fostering units cohesion by allowing cultural talent expression and preserving time-honoured tradition.

"Therefore, I say congratulations to the award winners and urge you all to double up your efforts to improve the standard you have already set.

"I encourage you to take this as a challenge, to work even harder as you remain committed to the ideals of the founding fathers of our armed forces.

"I urge you to remain unwavering in your duties and loyalty in all endeavors, as your role is critical to the survivability of our nation," he said.

Mustapha said that NAF had continued to demonstrate excellence in its operations and commended the efforts of the command in contributing significantly to realising it's strategic objectives.

"As we gather here today to celebrate a rich cultural heritage, I also acknowledge the importance of teamwork and unity in achieving set goals.

"The Nigerian Air Force plays a critical role in national security, and I applaud your commitment in this regard," he said.

The FOC thanked the AOC for the opportunity to grace the occasion and wished him continued success in his endeavours as he discharged his duties diligently.