President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, endorsed the establishment of African University of Aerospace and Aviation to be located in the FCT.
The minister of aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika disclosed this when he led a delegation of his ministry on a working visit to the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed.
He also disclosed that the federal government had had budgeted N1 billion as takeoff grant the new institution
He said the specialised university will be dedicated to research and development in civil aviation and aerospace technology.
The minister further said the university is unique as Nigeria is the first country in Africa to establish such an institution, thus informing the name ‘African University of Aerospace and Aviation.’
Sirika said aerospace and civil aviation has been expanded with new frontiers that “need the attention of experts that Nigeria will begin to play a role and participate effectively.”
‘’An example is the development of drones or unmanned vehicles that have now taken 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.”
He said the graduates of the university will go into all aspects of civil aviation and aerospace.
Meanwhile, he said the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria is a skills acquisition centre where air traffic controllers, a pilots, or aircraft engineers are trained.
He said aviation has gone beyond just skill acquisition adding that the university will be a research centre primarily on aerospace and civil aviation matters.
Rasheed, who received the formal letter of request, stated the commission’s commitment to ensuring that the guidelines for establishing any higher institution in the country is adhered to before granting any approval.
