The Nigerian Aviation University is Ready for take-off, the minister for Aviation confirms to reporters.
African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), following the provisional approval by the Nigerian National Universities Commission (NUC), is set to take off operations.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, disclosed this during an interactive session with reporters at the country’s capital, Abuja.
The minister said the initiative is an essential component of the aviation roadmap and hinted it was firmly out of the desire to go into research and overall development in aerospace and aviation which will benefit the nation’s aviation sector and the whole continent of Africa.
He further emphasized the need to establish a university dedicated to research and the overall development of aviation and aerospace.
PRESS BRIEFING: The Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika has announced the take off of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) in November for the 2022/2023 academic session.#AviationNG pic.twitter.com/jWiNpP6aKK
— Federal Ministry of Aviation, Nigeria (@fmaviationng) September 19, 2022
In his speech, he stated: “We need to establish a university dedicated to that, and it has taken a very long time. We have been on it since 2016 because it is a rigorous exercise. We needed to go through all of the requirements by NUC.”
The minister thanked the NUC for their support and the guidance they rendered during the process. He said: “they have been very cooperative and supportive and guided us through the process. They provided support too.”
He also hinted at how they arrived at the name of the University, stating that it was named African Aviation and Aerospace University because the intention is for the institution to be a Pan-African university that will support the entire continent.
The minister also told journalists that the University was designated land allocation in the nation’s capital, close to the airport.
The University will run in partnership with Nile University
The minister confirmed the partnership with Nile University in Abuja. He stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nile University is waiting to be signed. He also said that the terms of the partnership are approved and that what is left is just the formalities of signing the MoU. in the interim, the new University will commence lectures at the temporary campus at the Accident Investigation Bureau headquarters as well as the Nile University campus in Abuja.
Nigerian Aviation University take-off with two courses
In light of the development, the University will kick off with two courses, and only twenty students will gain admission into the University for each study course. Registration will commence from the 26th of September to the 18th of December, 2022. The pioneer courses offered by the University are a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business and a BSc in Aviation Meteorology, with plans to include Masters in Air Transport Management in 2023, as part of the provisional approval obtained from the NUC.
The University will be hybrid, supporting both on-campus and online studies the minister Added.
According to the Minister, they will privatize the University for efficiency and focus. In his words, “all the things we are seeing going wrong with our aviation system are largely due to the lack of capacity and understanding of the business itself”
He further stated that aviation, being both science and technology, is a dynamic industry with frequent changes. Hence, the need to keep up with speed and have people with the capacity and the requisite knowledge to run the University.
AAAU is another in a long line of universities and flight schools set to open and develop the next generation of aviators. Are you looking to join one of these schools? Tell us your thoughts!
“Aviation University”…Yet the nation does not have an operating aircraft. What a paradox!!!