Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
IBADAN, Nigeria (Dow Jones)--Nigeria's Kwara state and the Aviation Training and Consulting Institute of Dubai have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up an international aviation college, the government said Wednesday.
It said that the proposed college - which has been on the drawing board for the past two years - will aim to train more pilots in Nigeria in order to complement the efforts of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, northern Nigeria.
The college will be built in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state.
State Governor Bukola Saraki, who signed the MOU on behalf of the Kwara government, said that a shortage of pilots in the country coupled with under-utilization of the Ilorin Airport led to the decision to establish the aviation college and a cargo terminal.
Saraki said the technical partners from Dubai would manage and run the college.
A government statement cited Mohammed Al-Zaabi, president of Dubai's Aviation Training and Consulting Institute, who signed the MOU Tuesday with the Kwara state governor, as saying that the project would benefit Nigeria, Africa and the world.
He said the college would be a world class aviation institute.
Radio Nigeria, in a separate report Thursday, said 1.5 billion naira will be initially invested in the aviation college and that it will start with 40 students in March 2009.
-By Obafemi Oredein, Dow Jones Newswires; 234 2 7510489
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
20-11-08 0748GMT
