The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy on substance abuse, warning that officers found culpable will face dismissal from service.
The Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Air Training Command, Esen Efanga, gave the warning at the Fourth Quarter 2026 Training Day Lecture of the Nigerian Air Force School of Medical Sciences and Aviation Medicine (NAFSMSAM) in Kaduna on Tuesday.
Mr Efanga, represented by the commandant of the Air Traffic Services Training Centre (ATSTC), Nosiru Folaji, said the lecture, themed “Beyond the High: Understanding Substance Abuse, Addiction and Its Impact on Society,” was timely, given growing concern over substance abuse and its consequences.
“The Nigerian Air Force has a policy on substance abuse and has zero tolerance for substance abuse. Let me re-emphasise that aspect: zero tolerance. Personnel caught in this act face total dismissal,” he said.
Mr Efanga urged students and personnel to shun substance abuse, warning that it could destroy their careers, health and future.
He commended the school’s commandant for organising the lecture, appreciated the panellists for sharing their professional experiences, and urged the students to apply the lessons learnt.
Earlier, the commandant of NAFSMSAM, Anthony Ekpe, said the school had trained seven sets of A1 upgrading courses and four sets of basic medical courses, while currently running four regular medical technician programmes.
According to him, the programmes are community health extension workers, medical laboratory technicians, medical imaging processing technicians and pharmacy technicians.
He explained that the quarterly Training Day Lecture was designed to expose students, instructors and members of the base community to contemporary medical issues, encourage research and improve professional knowledge.
The guest lecturer, Joseph Ike, director-general of the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, called for practical interventions to prevent substance abuse and reduce its effects on society.
Mr Ike, a substance abuse researcher and management expert, said that strengthening trainees’ understanding of intervention strategies would help reduce addiction and its negative consequences.
He urged members of the public to seek professional assistance whenever they or someone they know experiences problems associated with drug use.
Mr Ike’s lecture covered types of substances of abuse, the mechanisms of addiction, the consequences of substance abuse and the levels of care required for prevention and management.
(NAN)
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