…says retired professionals being recalled to fill critical gaps
Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, has raised concerns over the growing shortage of qualified professionals in Nigeria’s aviation industry, revealing that the government has had to recall and retain retired personnel to fill critical gaps in the sector.
Keyamo made this known on Friday in Abuja during the unveiling of the Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM), Africa’s first privately owned university dedicated to aeronautics and management education.
According to the minister, the establishment of IBUAM is both timely and strategic, aligning with the federal government’s ongoing efforts to develop local capacity, enhance technical expertise, and reduce reliance on expatriate professionals in the aviation industry.
“I want to say that we are short-staffed in certain parts, in certain areas in aviation, and even Zaria was struggling in those particular areas. And one is air traffic controllers. I just want to make it clear that we are short-staffed in terms of air traffic controllers.
“They are trained as skilled professionals and it’s very difficult to produce them. And so we have the option now of even retaining those who are retired, extending their tenure, bringing them back on contract terms for them to serve us. So we expect that you concentrate in those areas where we are short-staffed.
“If you look at it, it’s actually complementing the federal government. It’s not competing with us,” Keyamo said
He noted that the federal government, earlier in the year, granted a licence to IBUAM as Nigeria’s first private university of aeronautics, emphasising that the institution will play a key role in addressing workforce shortages across the continent.
“African aviation is the fastest-growing sector among all industries on the continent. In the next few years, Africa will be looking for professionals, pilots, aeronautical engineers, and air traffic controllers. We must be ahead of these dynamics, and this university could not have come at a better time,” the minister added.
Isaac Balami, founder and chancellor of the university, said the institution was conceived as a response to the projected rise in demand for aviation professionals across Africa, as estimated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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Balami noted that the university would provide both theoretical and practical training through partnerships with industry regulators, maintenance facilities, and international aviation bodies, ensuring that graduates are technically proficient and globally competitive.
He said IBUAM’s model integrates academic learning with practical exposure to flight operations, maintenance, and management, allowing students to graduate with not only degrees but also professional licenses and certifications.
