Mrs Garba, MWO, now the first female Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) to be promoted to the highest rank in the Non-Commissioned Officers’ cadre in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Sadique Abubakar, an air marshal, approved the promotion of Master Warrant Officer (MWO), Grace Garba, to the exalted rank of Air Warrant Officer (AWO).
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, air commodore, announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said with the promotion, Mrs Garba, MWO, becomes the first female Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) to be promoted to the highest rank in the Non-Commissioned Officers’ cadre in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
According to him “The promotion demonstrates the commitment of the current NAF leadership in paying adequate attention to the empowerment of female personnel to realise their full potentials,” he said.
Mr Daramola said that one of the NAF’s female officers was sent to the United States of America for training to become the first female fighter pilot in the history of the NAF.
“Similarly, for the first time in NAF history, another female pilot is on the verge of completing training to become the first female helicopter pilot in the Service.
“It is expected that the promotion of MWO Garba to AWO would serve as a motivation and spur other airwomen in the Service to strive for excellence and aspire for such rare elevation,” he said.
Born on February 14, 1966 in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Mrs Garba joined the NAF in 1986 as a member of Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 10.