On Sep. 15, Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago of Niger State pledged N5 billion for building classrooms and hostels to restart the Nigerian College of Aviation mini campus at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna.
The governor made the promise during a meeting at the airport with the management of the Nigerian College of Aviation, Zaria. He said the completed project will lower the high costs that government and parents face in sending children abroad for aviation courses. “We are aware of the cost of sending children abroad to study aviation courses, but this project, when completed, will cut down a lot of expenses,” Bago stated.
Bago renewed his administration’s goal to turn the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna into a key centre for aviation and agriculture.
Earlier, the Rector of the College, Dr. Danjuma Adamu Ismail, praised the governor for upgrading the airport to global standards. He pointed out the college’s long partnership with Niger State government, which led to setting up the mini campus. “Reviving the campus will strengthen our partnership with the state and have significant impact, not only in personnel training but also in agro-aviation business, among others,” Ismail said.
He noted that the College of Aviation, founded in 1964, now runs six schools, including those for Flight, Air Traffic Control, Aeronautical Telecommunications Engineering, Airport Emergency and Training, and Aircraft Aviation Management.
Later, Governor Bago took the visiting team to check the aviation fuel depot and nearby housing units. He revealed that the current housing units will be pulled down to build a modern estate, helping to reduce the state’s housing shortage.
