Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of an African University of Aerospace and Aviation to be located in the country’s capital Abuja.
Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation conveyed the news of the approval to the management of the National Universities Commission (NUC) during a visit to the headquarters of the Commission in Abuja on Friday, July 2, 2021.
According to the Minister, the Nigerian Government has earmarked N1billon for the take-off of the Aerospace and Aviation university.
Sirika said the specialised university will focus on research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology, adding that Nigeria is the first country on the African continent to establish such an institution.
This, he said informed its name ‘’African University of Aerospace and Aviation’’.
The aerospace and civil aviation sector, the Minister explained has expanded with new frontiers that need the attention of experts thereby positioning Nigeria to play a role and participate effectively.
“An example is the development of drones or unmanned vehicles that are now taking over the space delivering cargo, delivering mails, delivering things and very soon delivering human beings,” he said.
“This is a new frontier in civil aviation that needs to be developed, we started with Brazil in the area of civil aviation. Today, Brazil is producing aircraft, and we aren’t producing a pin. So I think we should be able to have this University that is dedicated to aerospace and aviation in addition also the production of high-level manpower.”
The Minister further stated that graduates of the University will venture into all aspects of civil aviation and aerospace.
On whether the new university is not a replication of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, Kaduna State, Sirika explained that the College is a skill acquisition centre where students go to acquire skills to become an air traffic controller, a pilot, or an aircraft engineer.
But according to him, the aviation sector has gone beyond mere skills acquisition.