The Federal Government has reaffirmed that the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), Abuja, will remain a specialised institution focused exclusively on aviation and aerospace education, ruling out any plan to transform it into a conventional university.
The declaration was made on Thursday during the university's matriculation ceremony in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Dr. Mahmud Kambari, who represented the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.
Kambari described the university as a strategic national investment established to address the shortage of skilled manpower in the aviation industry and support Nigeria's economic growth through human capital development.
He said the institution was created to produce globally competitive professionals capable of meeting the growing demand for expertise in the aviation and aerospace sectors.
According to him, the global aviation industry is expected to require more than 600,000 commercial pilots, over 700,000 aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians, as well as hundreds of thousands of other professionals, including air traffic controllers, airport managers, safety instructors, aviation lawyers, aerospace engineers, cybersecurity specialists and aviation business managers over the next decade.
While encouraging the university to broaden its academic offerings, Kambari stressed that any new programmes must remain directly relevant to aviation and aerospace.
He warned against any gradual departure from the institution's founding mandate.
"The Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development will not support any attempt for AAAU to gradually drift into becoming a conventional university," he said.
"We have witnessed situations where specialised universities abandoned their mandates by introducing programmes unrelated to their founding objectives. That will not happen here. Every new programme must align with the university's strategic mandate and contribute meaningfully to aviation, aerospace and related sectors."
He added that the government would continue to support the institution despite existing challenges and urged newly admitted students to shun drug abuse, cybercrime, violence and other social vices while remaining focused on academic excellence.
In his remarks, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of AAAU, Prof. Mustapha Abdullah, said the institution had recorded remarkable growth since admitting its pioneer undergraduate students in 2023.
He disclosed that student enrolment had increased from 29 pioneer undergraduates to 311, while the university had trained more than 500 aviation professionals through its Professional Training Directorate, up from 162 trainees at inception.
Abdullah also revealed that more than 50 postgraduate students had successfully defended their master's degrees, expressing optimism that the university would hold its maiden convocation within the next year for its first set of undergraduate graduates.
He noted that the university was established to respond to Africa's growing demand for highly skilled aviation professionals, with a mission to produce competent graduates, innovative researchers and industry leaders capable of advancing aviation and aerospace development across the continent.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Bukar Goni, described aviation as a rapidly expanding sector offering wide career opportunities for young Nigerians.
He further announced the expansion of the university's scholarship programme for indigent students, stating that the Governing Council had approved sponsorship for four additional students after the success of the initial scholarship scheme, which supported six students, including four from host communities.
The African Aviation and Aerospace University was established by the Federal Government in 2022 under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to bridge the shortage of skilled aviation professionals in Nigeria and across Africa. The institution commenced academic activities in 2023 and currently operates from a temporary campus along the Abuja airport corridor, while construction of its permanent campus is underway.
No comments:
Post a Comment