Nigerian Air Force refurbishes fire trucks 20 years after being disused (photos, video)

macfranc007 October 10, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Kess Ewubare

- 17 out of the 24 fire trucks earmarked for refurbishment by the Nigerian Air Force have been successfully repaired

- The force states that enormous cost of procuring new fire trucks prompted the leadership of the Nigeria Air force to explore the option of locally refurbishing the trucks

- The troops of 81 Division of the Nigerian army have commenced their training exercise tagged Operation Crocodile Smile in Lagos and Ogun state

Some disused fire trucks located in bases of the Nigerian Air Force all over the country have been refurbished to provide fire cover for aircraft operations, thereby enhancing operational safety.

The Nigerian Air Force headquarters in a statement on Monday, October 9, stated that so far, 17 out of the 24 fire trucks earmarked for refurbishment have been successfully repaired and handed over to the respective units.

It stated that the latest set of 2 refurbished fire trucks were handed over to 107 Air Maritime Group Benin on October 5, 2017.

According to the force, most of the fire trucks being refurbished had been parked for over 20 years as beyond economic repairs.

It said: “With the refurbishment of the fire trucks, the NAF is now able to more independently provide fire cover for aircraft operations at its bases thereby enhancing operational safety.

"As part of its corporate social responsibility, the NAF is also now better positioned to provide complementary services with regards to fire fighting in the host communities.

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"The local firm, on 7 October 2017, commenced the refurbishment of another set of 2 fire trucks at 041 Communications Depot, NAF Base Shasha in Lagos."

The air force stated that the enormous cost of procuring new fire trucks and the scarce resources in the nation, prompted its leadership to explore the option of locally refurbishing the fire trucks.

It said: “The foregoing decision by the NAF leadership is in tandem with one of the key drivers of the vision of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

"That key driver is ‘Robust logistics support and maintenance culture to sustain platforms and equipment serviceability."

See some pictures of the fire trucks before and after refurbishment below:

Below are short video clips showing the refurbished fire trucks in operation.

Meanwhile, the troops of 81 Division of the Nigerian army on October 7, launched their 2017 training exercise tagged Operation Crocodile Smile in Lagos and Ogun state.

The southwest exercise is expected to last three weeks and end on October 28, 2017.

The spokesman of the division, Lieutenant Colonel Olaolu Daudu, in a statement on Monday, said that the exercise will also avail troops the opportunity to sharpen combat skills in the conduct of land base as well as joint riverine operation.

Daudu added that the exercise may transform into real operations to deal with emerging security challenges such as kidnappings, cultism, armed robbery, pipeline vandalism, and insurgency, among others.

STREET GIST: Is Operation "Crocodile smile II" necessary? - on NAIJ.com TV