‘AIB, UNILAG partner to save Nigeria huge capital flights’

Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on the use of its metallurgical laboratory at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

At the signing of the agreement at the Senate Building of UNILAG in Lagos, the AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru, said the laboratory was to the benefit of Nigeria, students of higher institutions of learning and industries in the country.

Olateru said that the sighting of the laboratory equipment in the country would save Nigeria huge capital flights, which would have been expended on air tickets, hotels and others by researchers, stressing that collaboration with organisations would further enhance one another’s capabilities.

While explaining that the agency had written to 12 higher institutions of learning on possible collaboration on the usage of the facility, the AIB Chief decried that only three universities; University of Ilorin, UNILAG and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Akwa responded to its letters seeking for collaboration.

• Sex-for-mark trade in our institutions of higher learning

He emphasised that the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) partnered with public and private organisations in the US and wondered why same could not be replicated in Nigeria.

His words: “I believe we can make this country great with collaborations. We need collaborations like this to help us add values to the country. We actually wrote to 12 universities, but only three responded to our letters, which is very unfortunate.

“This is why I want to thank your leadership for the signing of this MoU because it shows the efforts you are putting in place to increase the knowledge base of this great institution of learning.”

Responding, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the Vice Chancellor, Universit of Lagos explained that university education was about research, declaring that UNILAG was a research-oriented institution even as he stated that the institution collaborated with other universities and institutions across the country and beyond.