The former Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI) of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Wapkerem Maigida, has died, according to reports. He collapsed and passed away on Sunday in Abuja. Maigida assumed the DOPRI post on 6 January 2023, succeeding Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who is now the Commander of 551 NAF Station, Jos. Earlier, Maigida had handed over the command of the Jos station to Gabkwet.
Maigida, the 18th DOPRI, was also a former Aide‑de‑Camp to former Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Jonah Wuyep and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. Former DOPRI Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (rtd) announced Maigida’s death on his Facebook page, stating, “I join the Chief of the Air Staff, officers and men and DOPRI personnel to mourn the death of Air Commodore Wap Maigida. A dependable subordinate to his superiors and a compassionate superior to his subordinates.”
A graduate of the 42 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Maigida was commissioned into the NAF in 1995. He held a Master of Science in Security and Strategic Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in History, both from the NDA, as well as a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Advertisement from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos.
His military education included the National Defence Course at the National Defence College Nigeria, the Air War Course at Air Force War College in Makurdi, the Junior Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, and the Senior Staff Course at the Air Force Command College in Beijing, China. Internationally, he attended the International Public Affairs Officers course at the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, the Civil‑Military Relations/Cooperation Course at the Indonesian National Defence Forces Peacekeeping Centre, and the Deputy Spokesman Course at the Joint Information Activities Group, Royal Air Force Base Halton, United Kingdom.
Before his recent appointment as DOPRI, Maigida served as Commander of 551 NAF Station, Jos, and held several senior positions at Defence Headquarters, including Acting Director and Deputy Director of Defence Information, Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, and Deputy Director of Civil‑Military Relations.
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