KEYAMO CAUTIONS AVIATION VARSITY AGAINST DRIFTING FROM MANDATE …CALLS FOR MORE SPECIALIZED AVIATION COURSES, AS AAAU MATRICULATES 127

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warned the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) against deviating from its specialised mandate, insisting that the institution must remain focused on aviation and aerospace education.

Speaking at the university’s third matriculation ceremony in Abuja, where 52 undergraduate and 75 postgraduate students were admitted, Keyamo said every academic programme introduced by the institution must directly support the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mahmud Kambari, the minister said the Federal Government would not allow the university to drift from the purpose for which it was established.

“AAAU was established as a specialised aviation and aerospace university, and as far as this administration is concerned, that is exactly what it shall remain. Every new programme introduced must align with the university’s strategic mandate and contribute directly to aviation, aerospace and related sectors,” he said.

He noted that some specialised universities in the country had abandoned their original mandates by introducing unrelated courses, warning that such a trend must not be repeated at AAAU.

“We must resist the temptation to become everything to everyone. Rather, we must strive to become the very best in what we were created to do—aviation, aerospace and related sciences,” he added.

While commending the university’s progress over its three academic sessions, Keyamo said the institution currently operates only a limited number of programmes and urged its management to broaden its academic offerings to meet the manpower needs of the aviation industry.