Excitement filled the air as 54 students from various Local Government Areas of Borno State resumed at Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM), Lagos.

The emotional send-off ceremony marking their departure to Lagos ended with a colourful reception at the 7 Stars Global Hangar, where the university formally received them into its specialised aviation programme.

One of the highlights was the inclusion of a Chibok girl, Ihsan Yakubu, among the beneficiaries.

Speaking at the event, she expressed confidence that women can excel in aviation.

“Aviation is not reserved for men. If you want to be a pilot as a lady, make up your mind and pursue it. No one can stop you,” she said, drawing applause from parents and guests, who described her story as a symbol of resilience and hope.

Several parents commended Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, for investing in the future of indigent youths. They applauded the merit-based and grassroots selection process, stating it gave children without political connections equal opportunity.

They stressed that governance must focus on people-driven initiatives that empower the younger generation, describing education as the most effective long-term response to insurgency and poverty.

Founding Chancellor of IBUAM, Isaac Balami, described the occasion as historic.

“Today is a historic day for us as we receive the first 54 pilots and aircraft engineers sponsored by the Borno State Government. This is the first batch admitted into our specialised programme,” he said.

He disclosed that after four years of preparation, the university secured special approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to operate a training model integrating academic learning with hands-on industrial experience.

According to him, students will study aerospace engineering, mechatronics engineering, systems engineering, electrical/electronics engineering and software engineering, alongside intensive pilot training and management courses.

“This is the first time you will find a university where students combine classroom learning with about 1,000 hours of practical training annually inside a functional aircraft hangar. We are raising innovators and creators, not graduates who simply circulate CVs,” Balami stated.

He added that the five-year curriculum is designed to compress over two decades of aviation industry experience into a structured programme.

Addressing concerns about the university’s location, Balami said insecurity prevented it from being sited in Borno State.

“If there was full security, this university would have been in Borno State. We pray that peace will return fully, and when it does, we hope to establish a satellite campus there,” he said.

He described Lagos as the aviation hub of West and Central Africa, noting that the city provides the right ecosystem for aviation training and industrial collaboration.

Balami also highlighted Africa’s growing manpower deficit in aviation, projecting that the continent would require about 29,000 pilots and 31,000 aircraft engineers within the next decade.

“No single African country can close this gap alone. That is why we are positioning Nigeria as a training hub,” he said, adding that the tuition package covers accommodation, feeding, insurance, aircraft type rating and pilot training costs.

Executive Secretary of the Borno State Scholarship Board, Bala Isa, said the sponsorship forms part of the state government’s broader recovery strategy following years of disruption caused by insurgency.

“Borno State suffered serious setbacks in education due to prolonged school closures. This initiative is part of efforts to restore the glory of education and give our citizens hope,” he said.

According to him, the state has also sponsored students to study medicine, nursing and engineering in countries including China, Egypt and India. He added that the inclusion of aeronautical engineering and pilot training followed requests from parents seeking specialised opportunities for their children.

Architect and licensed pilot, Abayomi Omotosho Ikuru, described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s aviation future, noting that it represents a major boost to human capital development in the sector. (Guardian)