Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has warned that the nation’s aviation sector is facing a critical shortage of skilled professionals—forcing the government to recall and retain retired staff to fill key operational gaps.
Keyamo made the disclosure on Friday during the unveiling of the **Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM)** in Abuja, the country’s first private university dedicated to aeronautical and aviation management studies. The institution was licensed by the Federal Government earlier this year, after President Bola Tinubu approved its establishment during a Federal Executive Council meeting in March.
Speaking at the event, Keyamo described the creation of IBUAM as “timely” and aligned with the government’s drive to develop local technical expertise and strengthen Nigeria’s aviation capacity.
“We are short-staffed in certain areas of aviation, and even the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria is struggling to produce enough skilled hands,” the minister said. “We lack air traffic controllers and other technical professionals who take years to train. We’ve had to recall retirees and extend their tenures just to keep operations running. So, we expect institutions like this to focus on those critical areas.”
Founder of the university, **Isaac Balami**, said the institution was conceived to bridge the talent gap in Nigeria’s and Africa’s growing aviation industry.
“We’re compressing what took us two decades to learn into four or five years for the next generation,” Balami said. “Our students will gain digital simulation competencies that meet international standards and prepare them to work with global manufacturers.”
The university’s pioneer vice-chancellor, **Professor Paul Jemitola**, explained that IBUAM’s curriculum combines technical and leadership training designed to produce well-rounded aviation professionals.
“Every student will master both their core discipline and the fundamentals of piloting and management,” Jemitola said. “Graduates will earn not just a degree but also a private pilot’s licence and internationally recognised maintenance certification under NCAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency standards.”
He added that the institution would strengthen Nigeria’s aviation education framework and help build a new generation of technically proficient professionals to serve the continent’s expanding air transport industry.
