For Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the presentation of commercial pilot training certificate to the International Aviation College (IAC) Ilorin, by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, is a fulfillment of the government’s effort to set kick-start student recruitment and training at the nation’s second aviation college.

The vision for International Aviation College, IAC, did not come by a sudden flight. It predated Ahmed’s government. It was a project of Dr.Abubakar Bukola Saraki, under whom Ahmed served as commissioner for Finance and Economic Development. Not many gave the Saraki’s administration a chance of success on the project, considering the humble federal allocation and a near – zero internal revenue generation.

The springboard for this success story was the signing of the memorandum of understating of the IAC on Tuesday November 18, 2008 by the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Dubai – based Aviation Consulting and Training Institute (ACTI).

In a nation where policy somersaults are the order of the day and fears run deep over what becomes of the project after Saraki, many were doubtful that Ahmed would continue the project when he took over from his former boss, considering the financing option for the college.Ahmed, then a commissioner for finance and economic development had in defending the government position in October, 2008 posited that the borrowing is a necessary part of any government program of capital projects.

For him, therefore, the licensing of IAC was a vindication of that decision and another milestone in the determination of the government to partner with the private sector to promote the growth and development of the aviation industry in Nigeria.

‘The need for this arose from obvious deficit in the aviation personnel ready to drive this sector,” he stated. It all started like a pipe dream, but few years after, the Kwara State Aviation College located around Ilorin International Airport has come to stay with the formal presentation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) commercial training certificate to the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

The college which is the first privately owned Aviation institution in the country is the second Aviation College in Nigeria after the Federal Government owned, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria. The project was initiated by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki under a Public – Private – Partnership (PPP).

Saraki must have studied the trend in the Aviation industry to have come up with the idea. As it is in Nigeria, there is shortage of manpower in the Aviation industry because the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria is the only aviation training institute in the country and the cost of training pilots abroad is very high.

However, with the presentation of commercial pilot training certificate to Ilorin International Aviation College by NCAA, the need for Nigerians who want to train as pilots to travel abroad will be drastically reduced.

Apart from the provision of manpower for the development of the nation’s Aviation industry, the take-off of Ilorin International Aviation College will save the country of foreign exchange which hitherto was being used to train Nigerian pilots abroad.

The presence of Aviation College in Ilorin the state capital will not only boost the manpower required in the Aviation industry and save the nation’s foreign exchange, it will also have multiplier effects on the economy of Kwara State which is already undergoing transformation.

The college which will commence academic exercise any moment from now is also expected to generate revenue for the state government and employment opportunity for unemployed youth in the state. Already, people living within the Airport road axis and indeed residents of the state capital are feeling the positive economic impact of the college as their businesses are being patronized by the staff of the college.

The college intends to provide cutting-edge total aviation training that is responsive to national and international level challenges of the industry. It also desires to produce world-class professional aviation practitioners that would effectively occupy human resource gaps in the national aviation industry, with a key focus on efficiency and safety.

Its objectives are: to reduce the cost of training and retraining of aviation practitioners by providing local resources in line with global standards, to enhance the efficiency of Nigeria’s aviation industry in line with global standards and to enhance the safety standards of Nigeria’s aviation industry with a view to making Nigerian airlines some of the safest in the world.

The Ilorin International Aviation College is an institution designed and programmed to succeed. For a start, the college is taking-off with 20 students and within the next three years, the number is expected to rise to 100 students.Besides four Diamond Aircraft acquired by the college ten instructors of the college have also undergone training in South Africa.

The Diamond aircraft which the school will be using for training is the state of the art in training aircraft. It is made of composite material, which makes it lighter and more fuel efficient than aircraft made from aluminum.The boarding facilities of the college were designed to accommodate the needs of 150 students and dedicated living spaces. There is the Rector’s house and other facilities put in place in order to make the college a model in Africa.

The Rector of the college, Kenneth Hawkins foresees a bright future for the institution. He commended Senator Bukola Saraki for making sure that the school is equipped with the state of the art training facilities.Hawkins a seasoned pilot who has more than 35 years’ experience in the airline industry said the college’s flight stimulators will use the latest flight simulation software from Oxford Aviation Academy.

For Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the presentation of commercial pilot training certificate to the college by NCAA is a fulfillment of the state government effort to partner with the private sector under a Public-Private-Partnership arrangement for the development of the aviation industry in Nigeria.

In his words: “Today marks another milestone in our determination to partner with the private sector to promote the growth and development of the aviation industry in Nigeria. The need for this arose from obvious deficit in the aviation personnel ready to drive this sector”.The governor said his administration would continue to embark on projects that will enhance the socio-economic development of the state.

Speaking in the same vein, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Abubakar Kannike explained the acute shortage of aviation personnel especially training of pilots necessitated the establishment of the college by the state government to cater for the shortage and training of pilots locally.

While presenting training certificate to the governor, the representative of the Director General of NCAA, Mr. Emmanuel Ogunbanbi described the presentation of operational certificate to the Ilorin International Aviation College as memorable.

The pioneer Governor of Kwara State, General David Bamigboye(rtd) is also excited that the college has been presented with operational certificate.Bamigboye who commended the initiative of Senator Bukola Saraki on the project said the college would stimulate the economy of the state adding “I am happy that the college is taking-off”.

He also commended Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for his wisdom in continuing projects initiated by his predecessor. This he described as a good development which other states must emulate.

For Alhaji Aminu Bakare who lives along Airport road Ilorin, the presentation of operational certificate to the college is a manifestation of manygood things happening in Kwara.

As the college is set to begin academic exercise, Kwarans are already excited about the economic gains it will bring to their state.