President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of an African University of Aerospace and Aviation to be located in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika stated this when he led another management team of the Aviation Ministry on a working visit to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, in Abuja.
The Aviation Minister said N1 billion has been budgeted for the take-off of the specialized University which will be dedicated to research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology.
Serika explained that the University would be unique as Nigeria will be the first country in Africa to establish such an institution, with the name ‘’African University of Aerospace and Aviation’’.
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He noted that Aerospace and Civil Aviation have been expanded with new frontiers that need the attention of experts who would for example develop drones or unmanned vehicles.
Speaking on the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, Kaduna, viz a viz the new University, the Minister noted that the College is a skill acquisition centre, to acquire skills to become an air traffic controller, a pilot, or an aircraft engineer and stressed that aviation has gone beyond just skill acquisition.
He noted that the University will be a research centre primarily on aerospace and civil aviation matters.
The NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, who received the formal letter of request reiterated the Commission’s commitment to ensure that the guidelines for establishing any higher institution in the country are adhered to before granting approval.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
