Baze Aviation School is going to uplift the integrity of Nigeria across the world. The institution will enable us to command and control geography in Nigeria
By Moses Okorie
Baze University, Abuja, has acquired two training aircraft from Austria as part of efforts to strengthen aviation education and professional training at its aviation school in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The Pro-Chancellor of the university, Sen. Datti Baba-Ahmed, disclosed this on Friday during a traditional water cannon salute organised for the arrival of the aircraft at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Baba-Ahmed described the acquisition as a significant milestone that would contribute to national development and enhance Nigeria’s capacity in the aviation industry.
He said the university planned to train at least 600 professionals in specialised areas, including air traffic control, air rescue and firefighting, subject to approvals from relevant regulatory authorities.
He added that the training would complement the institution’s existing approved degree programmes.
According to him, Baze University graduates are increasingly gaining recognition in Nigeria, Europe, the United States and some African countries.
“Baze Aviation School is going to uplift the integrity of Nigeria across the world. The institution will enable us to command and control geography in Nigeria.
“It is a blessed institution to consider our aviation alongside our agricultural potential, solid minerals, and oil and gas,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed further disclosed that the university planned to develop an aerodrome hub measuring 1,800 metres by 30 metres, with an additional 15 metres, in the heart of Abuja.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Aviation School, retired Air Vice Marshal Aliyu Bello, said the newly acquired aircraft would support practical flight training and expand the institution’s aviation operations.
He explained that the university was commencing flight training to give students hands-on experience in addition to classroom and ground-school instruction.
Bello said the institution was developing a dedicated aviation facility on a large site in Bwari, featuring a runway, hangar, terminal building, laboratories and simulation centres.
He also disclosed that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had approved two new full-time undergraduate programmes for the university, effective from the 2026/2027 academic session.
The programmes, he said, were Aviation Management under the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences and Aerospace Engineering under the Faculty of Engineering.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, said the institution was positioning itself to become the first private university in Africa to operate its own aviation school.