Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has pledged the state government’s continued collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies to strengthen security and protect critical national assets in the state.
Governor Fubara made the pledge on Thursday while speaking at the commissioning of the rehabilitated runway at the 115 Special Operations Group Base, Nigerian Air Force, in Port Harcourt.
He described security as a collective responsibility that requires effective cooperation between the Federal and state governments.
The governor said Rivers State’s strategic position as the hub of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry makes its security inseparable from the security of the nation.
He said the rehabilitated runway would enhance the operational capacity of the Nigerian Air Force, improve the safety and efficiency of air operations and strengthen its rapid response to security threats.
According to him, the facility will also support efforts to combat crude oil theft, illegal refining, pipeline vandalism and other criminal activities affecting the national economy.
Governor Fubara described the Nigerian Air Force as one of the pillars of Nigeria’s nationhood, commending its officers and personnel for their sacrifices in defending the country’s territorial integrity and protecting critical national assets.
He also acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, stressing that there can be no thriving economy, investment or sustainable development without security.
The governor said the Rivers State Government had maintained a strong partnership with the Nigerian Air Force, including support aimed at improving operational effectiveness and the welfare of personnel serving in the state.
The Special Guest at the commissioning ceremony is the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, who commended Fubara for his strategic investment in the rehabilitation of the runway, apron, taxiway and other facilities at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Port Harcourt.
Air Marshal Aneke, who recalled landing at the airfield as a young co-pilot in 2001, said the facility had undergone significant transformation, noting that the apron and other critical infrastructure had been substantially expanded and upgraded.
He said the rehabilitation would enhance aviation safety, operational efficiency and the capacity of the Nigerian Air Force to deploy and recover aircraft rapidly.
According to him, the improved infrastructure would strengthen surveillance and reconnaissance, facilitate faster aircraft turnaround and enable sustained military operations across multiple theatres.
Aneke noted that the investment was particularly important given Nigeria’s increasingly complex security environment, which includes terrorism, insurgency, banditry, piracy, illegal bunkering and organised crime.
He added that the facility would also improve the military’s ability to respond to humanitarian emergencies and disasters through medical evacuations, search and rescue operations and the delivery of relief materials.
The Chief of the Air Staff particularly praised Governor Fubara for understanding the strategic importance of maintaining two effective airfields in Rivers State, describing the investment as evidence of strategic foresight.
He said the governor’s support for the Nigerian Air Force went beyond the runway rehabilitation to include other interventions, including the handover of an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter.
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