NAF band can boost strategic communication, says Air Chief

Air Chief Sunday Aneke says the 2026 NAF music workshop is timely in repositioning military music beyond ceremonial duties toward communication and operations.

 

ABUJA, Oct. 14, 2026 — The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has described the 2026 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) music workshop as timely and forward-looking, saying it would help reposition military music beyond its traditional ceremonial role.

 

Aneke, represented by the Director of Administration, Air Commodore Raphael Ojo, spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 Nigerian Air Force Music Personnel Workshop.

 

The workshop is themed "Beyond Ceremonial Duties: Harnessing the Nigerian Air Force Band's Strategic Communication Capability in Support of NAF Operations".

 

According to the CAS, the theme challenges personnel to look past established tradition and explore how the band's professional capabilities could contribute more deliberately to institutional communication, public engagement and operational effectiveness.

 

He noted that military music had long been an expression of discipline, tradition, unity and national identity.

 

"Within the Nigerian Air Force, the band has continued to perform important ceremonial functions at official parades, state occasions, military celebrations and other significant events.

 

"However, the contemporary security environment requires us to recognise that the value of military music extends beyond ceremonial performances," he said.

 

Aneke said music remained a powerful medium for connecting institutions with people, communicating shared values, strengthening morale and promoting mutual understanding.

 

He said the workshop offered an important opportunity to reshape how military music and its place in contemporary military service are understood.

 

According to him, the NAF band has considerable room to contribute to strategic communication and public engagement through carefully planned musical productions, public performances and approved digital content.

 

He added that community performances, youth engagement and cultural exchanges could build meaningful connections between the NAF and the public, in line with civil-military relations and national integration aspirations.

 

"Music can be used to complement existing welfare initiatives and contribute to a positive professional environment.

 

"Furthermore, the appropriate use of digital platforms, professional recording and contemporary content production techniques can extend the reach of the NAF music beyond physical events.

 

"Such efforts must however, comply with operational security, information security, copyright requirements and approved media protocols," he said.

 

The CAS said the band could be more than a ceremonial institution, but stressed that realising this vision would require deliberate capacity building.

 

Also speaking, the Director of Music, NAF, Group Capt. Ayo Ayanbode, said the air force operated in an increasingly complex security environment in which effectiveness was no longer determined solely by platforms, weapon systems and manpower.

 

Ayanbode said the ability to communicate effectively, build trust, shape perceptions and strengthen civil-military relations had become an indispensable component of operational effectiveness.

 

He said the workshop's theme aligned with one of the key drivers of the CAS's command philosophy, "Standardised Training and Mission-Focused Capability Development".