Date: 2013-12-08

The pool of trained commercial pilots in Nigeria will increase on Thursday this week as the Kwara State Government owned International Aviation College in Ilorin graduates its first batch of eight commercial pilots , one of them a female and another the youngest in the country, aged 20.

Addressing a pre-graduation press briefing, the Acting Rector of the College, Captain Nuhu Abdulkareem said the eight graduating students were among the first batch of 12 students enrolled in 2012.

The new pilots, according to Captain AbdulKareem, completed their pilot training with full commercial pilot licence, Instrument Rating and Multi Engine Training in 15 months, instead of the projected 18 months.

Abdulkareem explained that one of the students who started the programme converted to ground instruction, another withdrew on health grounds while the remaining two were withdrawn by the college due to poor performance.

Captain Abdulkareem disclosed that all the eight graduating pilots have been gainfully employed in the aviation sector, one of them employed by an international oil exploring company.

The Acting Rector emphasised that the International Aviation College, Ilorin has raised the Standard of Aviation Training in the country and is accordingly attracting interest from Gambia, Somalia, India among other countries.

He said the college now has 42 pilot trainees as well as personnel of the Nigeria Airforce undergoing training programme.

A member of the Board of Directors of the College, Chief Leke Ogungbe said with the success story that the college has become, the country is better placed to meet its manpower needs in the aviation sector.