FG announces approval of N1bn take-off grant for first aviation university

Chinazor Megbolu

The Federal Government has announced the approval of a take-off grant of N1 billion for the first aviation and aerospace University in the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari, disclosed this at the weekend, stating that the premier aviation university would be sited in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the management team of the aviation ministry during a visit to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Rasheed Abubakar, said the university, “the African University of Aerospace and Aviation” would be dedicated to research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology”

Sirika also noted that the reason to establish the university was to fill some identified gaps in the growth and development of the aviation sector.

“We are deficient in research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology, and that has caused a lot of underdevelopment of the sector and made us to be backward.

‘’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.

“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,” Sirika said.

Meanwhile, Abubakar in his remarks said the NUC would expedite action on the concept document submitted by Sirika for the establishment of the university.

He posited the commission would engage some professors to perfect the concept note for immediate approval.

Abubakar, however, maintained that the aviation university would be in place by the end of July, 2021.

“I can assure you that by the end of the month (July), we are going to have a brand new university, the first of its kind in Abuja, the first African University dedicated to aviation and aerospace study in the country.

“This aviation, under your guidance, will be the first to show the way that we can support the establishment of a specialised university that won’t only serve us but serve the African region and the international community,” he said.

Recall the federal government had in 2017, said an aviation university would be setup to make aircraft components and also produce aircraft.
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