The African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) Thursday held its 3rd matriculation ceremony in Abuja, admitting a new cohort of students comprising 52 undergraduates and 75 postgraduate students into its aviation and Aerospace programmes.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo while speaking said 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.
He added 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 Kambari, said, they understood AAAU as a strategic national investment designed to bridge the manpower gap within one of the world’s foremost growing industries.
He added the ministry has continued to pursue policies that would 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, Burka 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.
He revealed that 26 students have been supported so far, including four from surrounding communities, while four more students have now been approved for sponsorship following a rigorous selection process.
Aji urged 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.
Also, the acting Vice-Chancellor, AAAU, Mustapha Abdullahi said the aviation industry is one industry of precision where incompetence kills.
He stated: “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 are 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.”