•Targets aviation manpower for Africa
Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), Thursday held its 3rd matriculation ceremony in Abuja, admitting a new cohort of students comprises 52 undergraduates and 75 postgraduate students into its aviation and Aerospace programmes.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in his address at the ceremony, disclosed that the future of African aviation depends not only on modern airports and aircrafts, but also on the quality of people who operate, regulate, maintain, design, and manage them.
To this end, Keyamo said that the institution has been deliberately established to produce those people.
According to him, “Aviation sector occupies a strategic place within this vision, and institutions like AAAU will continue to receive the encouragement and support to fulfill their mandate.”
The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mahmud Adam Kambari, said, “We understand AAAU as a strategic national investment designed to bridge the manpower gap within one of the world’s foremost growing industries.
“Under my leadership and the ministry, and in line with the renewed agenda of His Excellency Minister-President Asif Ali Aswadi Bola Amachinigu, GCFA, we have continued to pursue policies that will reposition the Nigerian aviation industry as a major contributor to national economic growth.
“Our ministry has identified five strategic priorities that continue to guide our reforms.,” Keyamo said.
On his part, the acting Vice-Chancellor, AAAU, Alh. Burka Goni Aji, said Nigeria was providing a rare platform for academic and professional training in aviation on the continent.
He described transformation in the sector as a “generational project” and urged the matriculants to view their training as a contribution to future generations and their communities.
According to him, “The sector you are entering is developing rapidly across Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, the aviation industry is expanding, with airports being constructed in more cities. This expansion creates wide opportunities for careers in aviation.”
Aji stated that in line with its community relations policy, the institution’s Governing Council announced additional sponsorship for students from host communities, noting that according to the council, 26 students have been supported so far, including four from surrounding communities. Four more students have now been approved for sponsorship following a rigorous selection process.
He encouraged the students to document their academic experience, noting the advantage of digital records compared to his own university years in the 1980s when photographic documentation was limited.
He said the ceremony underscores its mandate of “transforming Africa through education” and its role in building manpower for Nigeria’s expanding aviation and media industries.
Speaking in similar vein, the acting Vice-Chancellor, AAAU, MUstapha Sheikh Abdullahi in his remarks, said: “Now, my dear matriculating students, today is your day. Congratulations. Welcome to the aviation family. But before you become too excited, permit me to spoil the celebration a little. Some of you are already planning how to skip lectures.
“Some are already searching for the easiest way to pass examinations. Some are already identifying who they will copy assignments from. I hope none of them is here today. Let me advise you.
“The aviation industry is one industry of precision where incompetence kills. A poorly trained engineer can bring down an aircraft. A careless weather forecaster can endanger hundreds of lives.
“A dishonest safety inspector can compromise an entire aviation system; an ill-trained Aviation Manager can damage a multimillion-dollar investment. There is absolutely no room for mediocrity in aviation.
“So, if you came here looking for shortcuts… You came to the wrong University. If you came here to play more than you study, you came to the wrong University. If you came here hoping someone will write your examinations, Again, you came to the wrong university.
“But if you came prepared to work hard, to dream big, to innovate and to compete globally then I say to you, Welcome home. This University will prepare you not merely for jobs but for leadership. Not merely for Nigeria but for Africa. Not merely for Africa but for the world.
“ Once again, I warmly congratulate each of our matriculating students and your families on this memorable ceremony May your years at AAAU be enriching, transformative and filled with remarkable accomplishments,” Abdullahi stated.