Niger Delta ex-agitators begin aircraft maintenance engineer training

The second group of 20 former agitators from the Niger Delta Region has begun a five-week mandatory training program.

Upon successful completion, they will receive certification and type rating as licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.

A 12-month on-the-job training (OJT) would precede this experience after they successfully graduate from the class course phase of the programme.

PAP Interim Administrator, Major General Barry Ndiomu (Rtd), speaking at the programme inauguration on Monday in Lagos, disclosed that the beneficiaries were part of the 75 Pilots/Aircraft Maintenance Engineers under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Aviation Training Scheme.

He added that out of this figure, a first set of 20 Aircraft Maintenance Engineers successfully graduated on October 31, 2023.

While charging the beneficiaries in his goodwill message Ndiomu noted that the flag-off of training for the second batch is another “promise Kept” by his administration.

Ndiomu who was represented by PAP’s Head of Reintegration, Mr. Wilfred Musa, said currently, the global aviation industry is expanding at a rapid pace and manpower development is being emphasised by both the industry operators and regulators.

He reiterated that through this specialised program, the PAP has become a critical supplier of strategic manpower to the global aviation industry.

He added that the PAP is poised to sustain this momentum of creating cutting-edge opportunities for the career advancement of Niger Deltans. He added that it is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” for the all-important Niger Delta region and Nigeria.

Ndiomu further charged the beneficiaries to prove naysayers wrong who suggest that the program is a waste of resources, by striving to be the best. “You represent not just the future of the Niger Delta, but the future of Nigeria and the global aviation industry,” he said. “The PAP has provided you with all you require to succeed on this journey, what you owe us in return is excellence”, he added.

In a separate remark, Managing Director of Alom Aviation Services Ltd, Captain Austin Omame, commended the PAP Interim Administrator for pushing on with the Aviation Resuscitation Program, adding that with their OJT/Type rating licences in their hands, they can secure aviation jobs anywhere in the world.

Onyeama Kingsley, one of the beneficiaries who spoke on behalf of the second batch trainees, promised that they would reciprocate the efforts of the PAP with dedication and hard work.

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