Following a nod from the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) will transform to a full-fledged university from this year’s academic session.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently assented to the bill according AFIT the status of a prime university to award degrees in special courses as aerospace and defence engineering.
Revealing the new status of the Air Force institute, during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abulrasheed Abubakar, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Baba Abubakar, expressed thanks to the NUC for the accreditation of AFIT and reiterated the NAF continued support.
Commandant of the Air Force school, Air Vice Marshal Cletus Nwannebuike Udeagulu, said the elevation of the school’s status will afford it the opportunity to compete favourably with other specialised institutions globally. He also said the university occupies a unique place in the educational landscape of Nigeria, being one of the few to offer training in aerospace and aviation-related courses up to postgraduate level.
The commandant reiterated his desire that AFIT becomes rated among the first 10 universities in Nigeria and, indeed, Africa, and said his vision is “to transform AFIT into a world class institution and first choice for the study of aerospace and defence engineering.”
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To achieve this vision, he promised to create conducive teaching and learning environment, deploy globally competitive curriculum, build a strong team as well as partner relevant ministries, departments and agencies.
On the convocation ceremony of the institute, the commandant said it will start with a lecture entitled: “Civil-Military partnership: Towards a thriving aviation industry,” which will be delivered today, by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.
He said the institute will issue certificates and award diplomas to over 200 students in different programmes and courses of study during the convocation.
AFIT plans to provide on-campus accommodation for students and staff as well as state-of-the-art lecture theatres and laboratories, including different aircraft models/live aircraft for aviation training.
AFIT is already an approved training organisation by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).