Ranks of Nigerian Air Force, Salary and Symbols

Ranks of Nigerian Air force, Salary and Symbols – Like the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the arm of the Nigerian Armed Forces  in charge of air military operations.

The Nigerian Air Force was established on the 18th of April 1964 following the passage by the National Assembly of the 1964 Air Force Act, which stated that the force that be saddled with the task of defending the country majorly through air operations.

The Nigerian Air Force was founded in 1964 with the passage of the Air Force Act in 1964 by the National Assembly with the following mandates:

1. To fully compliment the military defence system of the Nigerian Armed Forces both in the air and on the ground.

2. To ensure prompt mobility of personnel of the armed forces when needed

3. To closely support the ground and sea borne military operations in all phases and ensure the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

4. To give Nigeria the prestige of an independent Air Force which is greatly important in international affairs.

Branches Nigerian Air Force

The Headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force is made up of nine staff branches which makes policies for the NAF. These nine staff branches include the following:

• Policy and Plans
• Training and Operations
• Aircraft Engineering
• Logistics and Communications
• Administration
• Standards and Evaluations
• Air Secretary
• Accounts and Budget, and
• Medical Services.

Every one of the above staff branches is headed by a Branch Chief who is directly responsible to the Chief of Air Staff. The Branch Chiefs are assisted by several directors and staff officers.

Objectives Of Nigerian Airforce

The following are the aims and objectives the newly formed Nigerian Airforce as prescribed by the Nigerian parliament:

• To ensure quick and versatile deployment of the Armed Forces whenever necessary.
• To complement the military defence system of the country.
• To support the ground-based (Nigerian Army) and sea-borne forces (Nigerian Navy) in all stages of their operations.
• To play a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity of the country as a single, united entity.
• To improve the country’s image and prestige, which are essential in international issues.

The Chief of Air Staff acts as the presidential adviser on defence matters related to air operations. He also works with the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff.

The rank structure of the Nigerian Air Force is similar to that of the British Royal Air Force. This is expectable, since Nigeria was colonized by the British until she gained independence on October 1, 1960.

Ranks of Nigerian Air force and Salary Structure

The ranks of Nigerian Air force and monthly salary structure of the commissioned and non-commissioned officers are highlighted below:

Non-commissioned Officers

• • Air Warrant Officer: N171,793 per month
  • Master Warrant Officer: N165,697 per month
  • Warrant Officer: N101,974 per month
  • Flight Sergeant: N87,119 per month
  • Sergeant: N69,261 per month
  • Corporal: N58,634 per month
  • Lance Corporal: N55,832 per month
  • Aircraftman: N53,892 per month
  • Cadet (Trainee): N44,564 per month

Commissioned Officers

• • Air Chief Marshal: N1,724,283
  • Air Marshal: 1,486,451
  • Air Vice-Marshal: N1,376,343
  • Air Commodore: N677,895
  • Group Captain: N352,631
  • Wing Commander: N342,586
  • Squadron Leader: N248,004
  • Flight Lieutenant: N232,484
  • Flying Officer: N218,400
  • Pilot Officer: N187,159

Ranks of Nigerian Air Force and Symbols

Nigerian military has a very defined  structure, the ranks of Nigerian Air Force and salary structure ranges from one level to the other  where every level has its own meaning, status and signs. Just by looking at a person’s uniform, you can tell who they are and what they do (and even how much they earn).

The Ranks of Nigerian Air Force comprises of two cadres of personnel namely commissioned comprising 11 ranks and 9 non-commissioned ranks.  The list arranged below are the Ranks of Nigerian Air Force and Symbols from the highest to the lowest rank:

Commissioned Officers

• Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force
• Air Chief Marshal
• Air Marshal
• Air Vice-Marshal
• Air Commodore
• Group Captain
• Wing Commander
• Squadron Leader
• Flight Lieutenant
• Flying Officer
• Pilot Officer

Non-commissioned Officers

There are 9 ranks in the Nigerian Airforce for non-commissioned officers. They are listed below:

1. Air Warrant Officer
2. Master Warrant Officer
3. Warrant Officer
4. Flight Sergeant
5. Sergeant
6. Corporal
7. Lance-Corporal
8. Aircraftman
9. Recruit

 1. Marshal of the Air Force

Marshal of the Air Force is the highest attainable rank in the Nigerian Air Force. However, no Air Force personnel has ever attained this rank in the history of Nigeria.

Reason is, it must be granted on honorary grounds and not by promotion. Marshal of the Air Force is equivalent to Field Marshal in the Nigerian Army and Admiral of the fleet in the Nigerian Navy (NN).

2. Air Chief Marshal

Is a four-star rank and the second highest rank in the Nigerian and other Air Forces in the world. The rank of Air Chief Marshal have been attained by Air Chief Marshal Peterin and immediate past Chief of Defence Staff Allex Barde.

Both of them were former Chiefs of Defence Staff. It is equivalent to Admiral in the Navy and General in the Army.

3. Air Marshal

This is a three-star Air Force rank. It is the highest rank ever attained in the countries Air Force so all past Chiefs of Air Staff and the present have this rank or lower as the highest.

It is equivalent to the rank of Vice Admiral in the Navy and Lieutenant General in the Army.

4. Air Vice Marshal (AVM)

This is a two-star rank of the Air Force next to the Air Marshal rank.

It is equivalent to the rank of Rear Admiral in the Navy and Major General in the Army.

5. Air Commodore

This is a one-star rank and the most junior General rank of the Air Force next to Air Vice Marshal. It is equivalent to the rank of Commodore in the Navy and Brigadier General in the Army.

6. Group Captain

This is a senior commissioned rank next to Air Commodore. It is equivalent to the rank of Captain in the Navy and Colonel in the Army.

It is equivalent to the rank of Captain in the Navy and Colonel in the Army.

7. Wing Commander

Is the rank next to the Group Captain. It is equivalent to Commander in the Navy and Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.

8. Squadron Leader

Is the rank next to Wing Commander. It is equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and Major in the Army.

9. Flight Lieutenant

This is the is a Junior commissioned officer rank of the Air Force. Equivalent to Lieutenant in the Navy and Captain in the Army.

10. Flying Officer

This is a junior commissioned rank. It is the rank attained by Direct Short Service DSSC officers on commissioning.

Equivalent to Sub-lieutenant in the Navy and Lieutenant in the Army.

11. Pilot Officer

Pilot Officer is the lowest rank in the Nigerian Air Force for commissioned officers.

A Pilot Officer is directly below a Flying Officer in order of superiority.

12. Air Warrant Officer-

Its insignia is the golden eagle surrounded by the matching golden crown made of olive leaves.

Warrant Officers are assistants to Master Warrant Officer/Master Sergeant.

13.  Master Warrant Officer–

Officers of this rank are responsible for military equipment.

The insignia of the Master Warrant Officer/Master Sergeant is the Nigerian Coat Of Arms, where the horses are silver and the rest is golden.

14. Staff Sergeant-

It is a senior non-commissioned rank of the Nigerian Army. Staff Sergeants have three shoulder marks and a golden eagle on top.

15. Sergeant –

This is a junior non-commissioned officer. Sergeants have three shoulder marks.

 16. Corporal.-

A person in this position is responsible for a troop’s body. Corporals have two shoulder marks.

 17. Lance Corporal-

It is slightly higher than the recruit/trainee, but it is still the lowest officer rank. Lance Corporals also have one shoulder mark.

The lowest rank is Recruit/Trainee. This rank is for those who have just joined the army and are currently on the lowest level of hierarchy there is. Usually, recruits have no insignia, while trainees might have one shoulder mark.

List Of Nigerian Airforce Offices

• NAF Kaduna (the Old Kaduna Airport), Kaduna State
• NAF Abuja, FCT
• NAF Shasha, Lagos
• NAF Minna (based in Minna Airport), Niger State
• NAF Makurdi (based in Makurdi Airport), Benue State
• NAF Benin, Edo State
• NAF Yola, Adamawa State
• NAF Kainji
• NAF Jos, Plateau State
• NAF Enugu (based in Akanu Ibiam Int’l Airport), Enugu State
• NAF Kano (based in Aminu Kano Int’l Airport), Kano State
• NAF Ipetu-Ijesha, Osun State
• NAF Katsina, Katsina State