The acting Rector of International Aviation College (IAC), Ilorin, Captain Nuhu Abdulkarim, has projected that in the next 10 years indigenous manpower in the aviation industry would be less than 20 per cent, unless federal and state governments develop policy on manpower development for the sector.

Abdulkarim said that many Nigerians who are in the technical area of the industry like pilots and aircraft engineers are in their 50s and older so the country needs urgent replacement of these personnel through urgent, concerted training programme.

He therefore urged the different cadres of government to award scholarships to qualified indigenes to train as pilots, engineers and other technical positions that are today dominated by expatriates.

Abdulkarim said that part of the reason why there is dearth of indigenous manpower in the aviation sector is because over the years Nigeria has only one aviation training institution, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, which for 11 years was underfunded and it almost became moribund and during this period very few pilots and other aviators were trained from the school.

“As we know as followers of aviation history in this country, there has been a dearth of professionals, not only pilots, but engineers and dispatchers. This is because we used to have only one organisation recognised which is the NCAT.
“For sometimes they were not producing graduates. There was about 10 to 11 years shortages and if you look at my head, you will see that I am grey. I am 51 years old and I have been in aviation for 32 years; I started young. I worked with Nigeria Airways and also worked at NCAT for about 12 years.”

The Rector said that the establishment of the International Aviation College, Ilorin and the revival of NCAT, there is hope that more Nigerian would be trained to work in the aviation industry, but this may not happen, unless there is a commitment by airlines and governments to actualise this objective.

He lamented that huge resources are taken overseas by expatriate personnel who are now dominating the sector and noted that this has to stop or Nigeria may never rise to play dominate role in air transport.

“We are building capacity for the aviation industry and Kwara State government is helping to make this possible. Every student you send for training here you save the Nigerian economy of $200, 000 every year. I have expatriates here. I don’t like or hate them because we are one family under ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organisation).”

The Rector regretted that since the demise of Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) Nigerian airlines have stopped training personnel in large number to retain indigenous dominance of the industry.

“Nigerian airlines were not training. They were not participating in ab initio training. That was why people were poaching from one airline to another. I am product of Nigeria Airways. When poaching was no more possible, they started importing foreigners and now most of our contemporaries are either retiring or doing some other things. So when they could not poach they started bringing in expatriates.

“That is why people will give me the gimmick that Nigerians cannot fly modern aircraft. You have seen our aircraft; you have seen the cockpit. From zero flying hours Nigerians training here have started flying glass cockpit. And that is the choice of aircraft the state government provided for us,” Adbulkarim who is a seasoned pilot said.