The Kwara State government has declared how it is propping up the Ilorin Aviation College (IAC) with a view to making it self-sustaining before the expiration of the second term tenure of the sitting governor, Abdul Rahman Abdulrasaq.
Speaking as a special guest during the decoration of five graduating students awarded their commercial pilot licences in the school, governor Abdulrasaq explained that the current subvention to the college was to task the college authority in prudent financial management that would ultimately engender the college to become self-sustaining in its assigned tasks and funding.
According to the governor: “With effective management, I believe the Aviation College can attain autonomy and self-sufficiency in terms of funding”.
While revealing his government’s policy approach and the ultimate goal for the young aviation training institution, the governor declared, “Our aim for the school is to achieve this, instead of relying on subvention from the government.”
The governor, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), warned the new management of the college, who had barely spent 15 months piloting the affairs of the college, to avoid a repeat of the mismanagement that characterized the previous management, which drew back the progress of the institution.
In his remarks on behalf of the school’s management, the Acting Rector of the College, Captain YakubuOkatahi, expressed gratitude to the Governor for providing the subvention as and when due, which he said had helped in maintaining the college status quo.
Okatahi, however, appealed to the Governor for more funding that will aid the management’s sire to step up the entire infrastructure of the college so as to make the college more competitive, able to sustain the existing personnel and attract first-class faculty members and equipment.
Okatahi added that a few other open items identified by the regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), needed to be closed in record time, and funding becomes a sine qua non to close those items thus enabling the college to continue to soar and cruise at a higher, and safer altitude.
The Rector while specifically expressing appreciation for the N75 million special grant extended to the college by the Governor, however enumerated projects achieved with the grant to include: the purchase of a new aircraft engine, and propeller, the purchase of 10,000 liters of aviation fuel, (jet-A1), and the repair of the College’s fuel dump, among others.
The Rector appealed to the governor for an increase in the volume of subvention to the college to enable it to meet all the requirements stipulated by the regulatory authority.
Commenting, the Registrar of the College, Mr Mohammed JimadaJibril, used the occasion to congratulate the governor on his re-election for the second term and as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
He pleaded with the governor for the upward review of the College’s monthly subvention to enable the College to implement a competitive salary structure for its staff as obtained in sister institutions like NCAT, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The governor however urged the College to put all its requests in writing to his office for necessary action.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then