By Dr. Nafisat Makinde
The African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) is set to move to a new permanent campus before the end of December 2025, after three years of steady development.
The Registrar, Dr. Mustapha Sheikh Abdullahi, said this on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Abuja. He said the school began without a structure, academic brief or funding, and many stakeholders doubted it would succeed.
“People said it would never work. Even friends and family told us to stop wasting our time. But we believed in the dream, worked without pay for months and today we have students in 300 level,” he stated.
He said construction at the permanent site began in November 2024 after a groundbreaking ceremony in July 2024. He added that seven major buildings, including one of Nigeria’s largest lecture theatres, are near completion.
Dr. Abdullahi said the university was established to address manpower shortages in aviation and aerospace. He called on professionals in NAMA, NiMET and NCAA to support the institution. “This is a national project. We need experts to come out of their comfort zones and join us in building history,” he said.
He also confirmed that AAAU has active partnerships with institutions in France, Bahrain, Dubai, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Australia. He said the National Universities Commission recently carried out an accreditation visit and the preliminary report was positive.
“With continued support, the sky is not our limit. It is our starting point,” he added.
AAAU was established under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to serve as a continental centre for aviation training, research and innovation.
.
