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Bill to establish first Aerospace university in Nigeria scales second reading
By Emmanuel Awosika
A bill to establish an Aerospace and Aeronautics university in Ondo State on Wednesday passed second reading in the Senate.
According to Ajayi Boroffice, who sponsored the bill, the new university will eliminate the dearth of Aerospace and Aeronautics institutions in the country.
He also said it would provide locally grown labour for the burgeoning Aerospace and Aeronautics sector in Nigeria, adding that it was disappointing that support services for the sector were mostly available only abroad.
He said: “In Africa, there are few institutions offering Aerospace-related engineering programmes and there is no dedicated University of Aerospace and Aeronautics in Nigeria.
“Therefore, the bill seeks to transform aerospace industry and such transformation can only succeed through the establishment of a University that will lead training and research programmes and also ensure local availability of skilled workforce in Nigeria.”
Boroffice, who is the Senate Deputy Marjority Leader, said the institution would not require extra funding because its predecessor, the Advance Aerospace Engineering Centre in Ondo, already had its own approved budget.
The Senate referred the bill to Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund for further evaluation, asking them to submit their report in four weeks.
