Until he was appointed the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff, Mr Abubakar was the Chief of Standards and Operations, at HQ NAF.
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Hassan Abubakar, an air vice marshal, as the new Chief of Air Staff to replace Isiaka Amao, who held the position since 2021.
The newly appointed chief of air staff was born in Shanono, Kano State, on 11 September 1970.
Mr Abubakar enlisted into the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) as a member of NDA regular course 39 and was commissioned Pilot Officer in September 1992.
Until he was appointed the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff, Mr Abubakar was the Chief of Standards and Operations, at the NAF headquarters
He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna.
He attended Basic Flying Training Courses at the 301 Flying Training School Kaduna; Basic and Advance Airborne Courses at Nigerian Army Infantry Center and School Jaji; Company Amphibious Operations Course at Nigerian Army Infantry Center and School in Calabar; Junior and Senior Command and Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji.
He took a National Defence Course at the Nasser Higher Military Academy in Cairo - Egypt. The senior air officer obtained a Master's Degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
He had held several appointments before the zenith of his career on Monday.
Mr Abubakar was the Admin Officer, 16 Engineering Wing at the 1 Engineering Group of NAF Makurdi, Benue State. He served as Officer Commanding Admin Services Flight/ Group Public Relations Officer, 97 Special Operations Group NAF Port Harcourt.
Similarly, at Air Force Military School Jos, he was Officer Commanding Yellow Squadron and Admin Officer Primary Flying Training Wing - 301 FTS NAF Kaduna.
He was Officer Commanding 'B' Squadron (Do 228) - 81 Air Maritime Group NAF Benin and a Team Leader at MILOB Team Site 615 Mahagi (Ituri Brigade) MONUC.
Other positions he held include Aviation Planning Officer, MONUC Air Operations Kinshasa, DRC; Commanding Officer Base Services Wing 81 Air Maritime Group Nigerian Air Force Benin; Operations Officer Operational Conversion Unit, 88 Military Airlift Group, Nigerian Air Force, Lagos; Operations Officer, 88 Military Airlift Group, Ikeja, Lagos; Commanding Officer, 21 Wing 88 Military Airlift Group, Lagos; Group Safety Officer, 88 Military Airlift Group, Ikeja, Lagos; Fleet operation officer, 011 Presidential Air Fleet, and Commander 011 Presidential Air Fleet.
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He was Chief of Staff, Mobility Command; Director of Policy, HQ NAF; Director of Operations, HQ NAF; and Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command.
The senior officer has earned several awards and decorations, some of which include: Distinguished Service Star; Passed Staff Course (psc); Fellow Defence College; and Masters in International Affairs.
The new chief of air staff is a Member of the National Institute of Management; Member Chartered Institute of Public Management and Member Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals.
Air Vice Marshal Abubakar is married with children. In his downtime, he enjoys flying airplanes, reading, reflecting, and keeping fit.
