Nigeria’s establishment of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) in Abuja has received a new boost from the president of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, Salvatore Siacchitano.
Siacchitano said the organisation is committed to partnering with Nigeria in order to set the institution at par. Special Assistant (Public Affairs) to Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, James Odaudu, said Saturday that the ICAO president gave the assurance when Nigeria’s aviation minister, Hadi Sirika, led the country’s delegation to the 41st general assembly of the organisation to his office at the ICAO headquarters in Montreal Canada.
“ICAO would always be part of every effort geared towards addressing the manpower needs of member-nations in order to service and manage the ever-expanding Aviation industry, asserting that Nigeria’s decision to establish the university was a welcome development,” the statement quoted the ICAO president to have said.
The ICAO chief said the university would represent a new route for the preparing professional managers for the industry, especially within the African region, being the first of its kind in the continent.
He also promised to visit the site for the university during the forthcoming ICAO Air Negotiation event (ICAN) to be hosted by Nigeria in December.
The visit, according to Siacchitano, will give him a clearer picture of the immediate needs and the level of participation of the organisation.
The statement noted that Siacchitano also used the visit to express ICAO’s appreciation to the government of Nigeria for its commitment to the ideals of the organisation at all times, saying that the acceptance to host the ICAN event was a clear demonstration of the said commitment.
In his remarks, Sirika expressed Nigeria’s gratitude to the ICAO Council President for his reassurance of the Council’s earlier pledge to be involved in the university project, informing him that all the necessary regulatory requirements have been met and approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He assured that the forthcoming ICAN event holding in Nigeria will be a resounding success just like the earlier ICAO events hosted by the country.
In a related development, the government of Qatar has also expressed its readiness to participate in the establishment and running of the African Aviation and Aerospace University located in Abuja.
According to the statement, the Qatari Minister of Transport, Jassim Al-Sulaiti, disclosed this at a meeting with Sirika at the sidelines of the ongoing 41st General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada.
The two Ministers agreed to meet further to develop modalities for partnership in the project, given the interests being shown by some ICAO members and the organisation itself, the statement noted.
Five years ago, the Federal Government announced that it would establish an aviation university in the future. Last month, following a provisional approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Sirika announced that the Federal Government has commenced plans to enroll students in its Aviation and Aerospace University (AAU), Abuja.
