Cynthia Ezegwu
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has expressed concern over the rising scarcity of certified professionals in Nigeria’s aviation trade, which has pressured the federal government to recall and retain retired personnel to fill crucial gaps.
Keyamo disclosed this on Friday in Abuja through the official unveiling of the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM), the primary personal college of aeronautics in Nigeria, licensed earlier this 12 months by the Federal Government.
The minister described the institution of the establishment as well timed, noting that it aligns with the federal authorities’s drive to construct native capability and technical experience within the aviation sector.
“African aviation is the fastest-growing sector, and in the next few years, it will outpace other industries. We are expected to experience rapid growth, which will increase demand for professionals—pilots, aeronautical engineers, and air traffic controllers. This university could not have come at a better time,” Keyamo mentioned.
He highlighted that Nigeria’s aviation trade is already grappling with a scarcity of expert professionals, notably air visitors controllers, including that coaching establishments just like the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, are struggling to satisfy demand.
“We are short-staffed in several key areas. To cope, we have recalled retirees and extended their tenures. We expect this new university to focus on producing the professionals the sector urgently needs,” the minister added.
The college’s founder, Isaac Balami, an aviation entrepreneur and former President of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, mentioned the establishment was conceived to handle the rising demand for aviation professionals in Africa.
“We are compressing what took us 20 years to learn in the industry into a four- to five-year training process for our students,” Balami defined. “Our curriculum includes advanced digital simulation that prepares graduates to work with global manufacturers.”
The Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Paul Jemitola, mentioned the college’s programmes are designed to provide a brand new era of aviation and administration consultants geared up with each technical and management abilities.
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“Every student will graduate with a degree and also earn a private pilot’s licence and international aircraft maintenance certification, in line with standards set by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency,” he mentioned.
According to Jemitola, IBUAM will play a significant function in strengthening Nigeria’s aviation training framework and creating the technical workforce required for Africa’s increasing air transport trade.
Licensed by the Federal Government on April 30, 2025, the college obtained approval from President Bola Tinubu throughout a Federal Executive Council assembly held on March 3, 2025, after a four-year utility course of.
Balami mentioned his long-term imaginative and prescient is for the college to contribute to the event of Nigeria’s aviation trade — together with the eventual manufacturing of domestically constructed plane.
