Alex Sabundu Badeh (January 10, 1957 - December 18, 2018) was a retired
four star flag officer of the Nigerian Air force who served as the 18th Chief of
Air Staff (October 4, 2012 – January 16, 2014) and the 15th Chief of
Defence Staff of the armed forces of Nigeria (January 16, 2014 to July 13,
2015). He was shot dead on Tuesday, 18 December, 2018.
Early life and education
Badeh was born in Vimtim, a little town in Mubi Local Government Area of
Adamawa State , North East Nigeria into a family of peasant farmers. He
attended Vimtim Primary School, [1] Vimtim and went on to obtain his school
certificate from Villanova Secondary School in 1976 before proceeding to the
Nigerian Defence Academy
Military career
Training
Alex Badeh was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of
the 21 Regular Course on 3 January 1977, and was
Alex Sabundu Badeh in the 70's
commissioned Pilot Officer on 3 July 1979. He commenced his flying career at
the 301 Flying Training School on the Bulldog Primary Trainer aircraft in
1979. Between 1981 and 1982 he attended the Undergraduate Pilot Training
at Vance Air Force Base in the United States Air Force. He was at the 301
Flying Training School (FTS) as a squadron pilot and later became an
instructor pilot on the Bull Dog and DO-228 aircraft.
He attended the junior staff course at Armed Forces Command and Staff
College in 1988. Between 1995 and 1996 he attended the senior staff course
at same institution. In 2005 he was at the National War College Nigeria as a
member of Course 14 and graduated in August 2006. The Air Marshal holds
an M.Sc. degree in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan .
Air Marshal Badeh was promoted Air Vice Marshal on 3 January 2008.
Between 2008 and 2009, he was a Directing Staff at the National Defence
College, Abuja, Nigeria and subsequently became the Director National
Military Strategy at the same college. Thereafter, he moved to Defence
Headquarters as Deputy Director Training and later became the Director of
Research at the Defence Headquarters. From October 2010 to March 2012,
Air Marshal Badeh moved to Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force as Chief of
Policy and Plans. Subsequently, in March 2012, he was appointed Air Officer
Commanding Training Command, Kaduna. On 4 October 2012. He attended
Safety International Institute at Teterboro in New York for a course in
Simulator Recurrence, which deepened his knowledge on Air Safety
Operations.
Commander of Presidential Air Fleet PAF (2002 –
2004)
Alex Badeh was Commander of the Presidential Fleet, during the Olusegun
Obasanjo's presidency. The Presidential Fleet Crew flew around the world
frequently and by 2002, Badeh logged over 6000 flying hours shuttling VIPs,
dignitaries, top government officials and Heads of State. [citation needed ] He
was given the green light to fly former United States Presidents Bill Clinton
and Jimmy Carter on different occasions after extensive check was done by
the United States Secret Service. [citation needed] Badeh’s professional
dexterity on duty earned him commendation and an autographed pen from
Koffi Anan and the then UN Secretary after flying him to an official
trip. [citation needed ]
Chief of Air Staff (October 2012 – April 2014)
As Chief of Air Staff Badeh initiated Optimizing Local Engineering (OLE 1 and
2) to focus on developing indigenous Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and other
weapon systems. [ citation needed ] The OLE teams consisted of Nigerian Air
Force officers with PhDs and master's degrees in various fields of aerospace
design, avionic and armament specializations from the Cranfield University in
the UK.
OLE 1 and 2 resulted in the production of the AMEBO project (aka GULMA 1
UAV) which allowed the Air Force survey and carry out attacks remotely
without putting the lives of pilots at risk and this was the 1st locally
produced drone in Nigeria. Badeh ensured UAV pilots were trained locally to
promote local content and save the nation huge resources that would have
been spent conducting same training abroad. The Nigerian trained UAV pilots
have been resourceful in the ongoing war against terror in the North East of
Nigeria. [citation needed]
He encouraged aggressive R &D programs in all NAF units, which led to the
first NAF R&D exhibition in Abuja drawing participants from Nigerian
universities and research institutes. NAF subsequently signed MOUs with
some of the institutions to offer impetus to NAF’s R&D efforts. Some of the
Alex Badeh inspecting NAF air crafts
universities are University of Benin , University of Ibadan, University of Lagos ,
Covenant University, Ota; Federal University of Technology, Minna; Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Ahmadu Bello University , Zaria and Yaba College
of Technology . [2] The research institutes are the National Agency for Science
and Engineering Infrastructure, National Space Development Research Agency
and the Defence Industries Corporation.
His sustained R&D programs ushered new methods of tackling maintenance
issues one of which is the successful completion of the first in-country
Periodic Depot Maintenance[3] (PDM) on the C-130H aircraft NAF913 and
similar exercises for on the 2xG-222 aircraft in Lagos. His period as Chief of
Air Staff also witnessed the local design and production of the hydraulic
diaphragm of the Mi-35P attack helicopter while the EOS camera on board
the Agusta 109 LUH helicopter was repaired and successfully re-installed.
While serving as Chief of Air Staff, Badeh initiated and completed some key
projects including the NAF hangar in Yola Airport, link roads from the hangar
to the runway, weapons storage facility, [3] crew room for pilots and
technicians, accommodation for officers and men, Air Force comprehensive
school, Yola, development of infrastructure at 75 Strike Group Yola, air craft
shelters, worship centers, 80 room student hostel at the Air Force Institute
of Technology Kaduna and other notable projects. [4]
During the period the Air Force launched a partnership with Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to curtail illegal maritime
activities by providing aerial security support for the agency an operation that
was hugely successful. [4] Badeh also partnered with the Nigerian Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) to supply relief materials, free medical services
and evacuations missions in some cases As Chief of Air Staff Alex Badeh
ensured all personnel who had kids in the Air Force primary and secondary
schools got free tuition. [4]
Chief of Defence Staff (April 2014 – July 2015)
Badeh initiated and constructed the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) extension
complex fitted with a befitting joint operations room, conference hall, the
office spaces, Penthouse to receive guests. [3] During the military operations
against terror in North Eastern Nigeria, there was a need to feed the public
with accurate and timely news therefore Badeh established the Armed Forces
Radio broadcasting form Mogadishu Cantonment broadcasting on 107.7 FM to
tackle the challenge of negative media coverage against the Nigerian Military
The radio station enabled military to tell its side of events, over security
orientation and information.
Other projects completed by Alex Badeh as Chief of Defence Staff includes
the Armed Forces DNA Laboratory, which has allowed for easy identification
of casualties of war, the Defence Space Agency, commissioning of 30 Gun
Boats in the Niger Delta region amongst others. [citation needed ]
Personal life
Legal issues
In February 2016 Alex Badeh was accused of financial misappropriation by
the EFCC during his tenure as service chief. Badeh has denied involvement in
any misconduct. [5]
Terrorist attack in Vimtim
In October 2014 Boko Haram fighters briefly occupied Vimtim the hometown
of Alex Badeh killing lives and destroying properties. [citation needed ] His
cousin who lived next door to his house was killed during the
attack. [citation needed ] The terrorist also torched down Badehs house and
the hospital he built for the community. [citation needed ] It was widely
reported in the media that the Defence Chief sent a helicopter to evacuate his
parents before the attack even though records show that he actually lost his
father in the 70’s and his mother in 2013. [ citation needed ]
Retirement from the Nigerian Air Force
Alex Badeh's pulling out parade
Air Chief Marshal Alex retired in July 2015. In line with Military tradition a
Pulling-Out parade was held at the Mogadishu cantonment Abuja where Air
Chief Marshal Badeh gave his valedictory speech before proceeding to his
home state. [6]
Death
He was killed in an ambush along Keffi - Abuja expressway on the evening of
the 18th of December 2018. [7][8][9][10]
References
wikipaedea
