Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The federal government yesterday in Abuja set in final motions for the establishment of Pan-African Aerospace and Aviation University, six years after rigorous proposals and requirements submitted to National Universities Commission (NUC).
President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration revealed that it was high time that the country goes into huge research and development in the areas of aerospace and aviation.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika said, “We have a need to establish a university dedicated to that and it has taken a very long time, since 2016 we have been on it because it is a rigorous exercise, we need to go through all of the requirements by National Universities Commission (NUC), they have been very cooperative and supportive and guided us through the process. They provided support, so here we are today with the university about to start
Sirika noted that “The name of the University will be the African Aviation and Aerospace University. We named it Africa because the intent is for it to be a Pan-African university that will support it entirely and this is so because in our contacts and in our appropriation to have this university come up, we did indeed contact those in the country and outside.
“There are many universities that are aerospace and aviation-related and also International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and many others and all these calibrated into what we have and the focus of the university as a university for aviation and aerospace.
“So, the component of Africa is to make it Pan-African and it is not limited in terms of experience to Africa, Nigeria will be the focus and centre and Africa will be the catchment areas…
“The university has been given a location very close to the airport area by the government and it will be established there. This university is supposed to be a hybrid university, working on campus as well as online university. We have the provisional approval by the NUC to continue and once we are satisfied.”
Sirika said, the first year which is this year, “we will be doing BSc Aviation Business and the second will be Bsc Meteorology and these are the two that will start.
“The second year, which is 2023, we will be doing Masters in Air Transport Management, this is all part of what we discussed with the NUC and we have gotten approval for that.
Continuing, Sirika said, “for me as minister, this is the most important legacy that the government will leave behind. This university has taken a lot of time to plan, since 2016 till date, we have created a logo for it.”
