The Kwara International Aviation College is to acquire 10 aircraft to facilitate the training of pilots, aircraft engineers and other aviation professionals, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said.

He said in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, that the aircraft would be bought with a loan secured by the Federal Government from the Export Import Bank. It has a moratorium of 10 years.

He said: "This is part of the reasons we have set up an International Aviation College and, luckily, under the new EXIM loan that the Federal Government has signed with the Chinese and Indian governments and others across the world, the International Aviation College will be benefiting from the loan. It will be able to acquire at least 10 new aircraft under a 25-year loan agreement with a 10-year moratorium. It couldn't be better than that."

The governor said the school would acquire the aircraft, develop economy of scale, train students, earn money and pay back the loan on its own. He said: "The 10-year- facility means that the college's cash flow will not be under pressure. It is when you borrow money and you have to pay within a very short time that you have pressure on your cash flow. The loan was so attractive that we couldn't resist it and it is one of the best things that ever happened to us.

"That will enable the school to get to the much-desired full scale aviation college that we have always prayed for and will allow them to attain economy of scale where they can earn a lot of money to service the school and pay back. For now, the school is fully owned by the state but don't forget that the state government is not in the business of running aviation.

"So, ultimately, we will sell off 70 per cent of that business to those who know how to do it and then the school will run on its own internationally."

The governor explained that the aviation college was established in response to the demand for pilots globally. He said the college is positioned to serve as a training hub for Africa.

He said: "For keen observers and those who want to truly see themselves growing among comity of nations, they must begin to learn how to do a clear analysis of opportunities. One big opportunity that exists in the aviation industry is the fact that there is dire need of pilots globally.Check any international airline, they will tell you.

"Training pilots requires that you understand the dynamics of the business.

"Apart from Zaria and South Africa, I don't know where else pilots are trained in Africa."

He said by the time this school gets to its potential, everybody in Africa who intends to train as a pilot would know the existence of an Aviation College in Ilorin.

"For now, we are training pilots but there are other services. There is engineering training. There are other services that are going to go into it. This would become itself a hub for driving aviation business," he said.