Stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation sector have advocated for the inclusion of the Africa Aviation and Aerospace University, Abuja, in the sharing formula of the 5 per cent ticket charge distributed among agencies in the sector.
The call was made at a public hearing on two bills organised by the House Committee on Aviation.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said the future of Nigeria’s aviation industry depends on investing in the people who will design, regulate, operate and sustain the infrastructure.
He said the African Aviation and Aerospace University was established to fulfil this national responsibility.
Including AAAU in the Ticket Sales Charge revenue-sharing formula will provide a sustainable funding mechanism that strengthens the entire aviation ecosystem, he added.
The planned amendment of the laws governing the sharing formula presents an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The institution should be recognised as a statutory beneficiary of the Ticket Sales Charge revenue, Abdullahi said.
It is the only specialised university in the country dedicated to aviation, aerospace and allied disciplines.
According to him, agencies in the aviation industry depend primarily on competent professionals.
Without these qualified professionals, none of the statutory agencies can effectively discharge their mandates.
Investing in the institution is, in effect, investment in the NCAA, NAMA, NiMet, FAAN, NSIB and every future aviation institution.
Globally, sustainable aviation systems devote dedicated funding to institutions responsible for aviation education, research, innovation and manpower development.
Revenue generated from aviation users should not only finance current operations but also build the next generation of aviation professionals.
Nigeria cannot sustainably expand its aviation industry while relying solely on annual budgetary allocations to finance its only specialised aviation university.
The revenue sharing should reflect the entire aviation value chain.
The current arrangement largely recognises operational agencies, even though the sector is sustained by four pillars of Regulation, Air Navigation Services, Safety Oversight and Human Capital Development.
“The first three pillars receive statutory funding. The fourth pillar, the institution responsible for developing aviation professionals does not with the current formula. This creates an imbalance that should be corrected through this amendment,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau now operates outside the direct supervision of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, having been moved under the Presidency.
This presents an opportunity for the National Assembly to review the existing sharing formula and accommodate AAAU.
Additional funding will enable AAAU to establish internationally accredited aviation laboratories, expand aerospace engineering laboratories, support aviation research and innovation, train future aviation professionals locally and produce industry-ready graduates.
The university prayed the National Assembly to recognise AAAU as a statutory beneficiary of the 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge.
It also requested an amendment to the Civil Aviation Act to expressly include AAAU in the revenue-sharing framework.
The university further requested an allocation of not less than 10 per cent of the Ticket Sales Charge to AAAU.
Business Consultant Olusegun Lijofi said AAAU needs a strong support base to bridge severe human resource gaps and build critical research infrastructure for air safety.
He said a special intervention by the government backed by a concrete legislative framework is necessary.
“Fixing AAAU is a giant stride towards resolving one of the pressing challenges in the continent, which is a huge manpower deficit in the aviation sector,” Lijofi added.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
