The Federal Government has called on Nigerian professionals trained in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to contribute their expertise to solving challenges in the aviation sector and advancing the country’s technological growth.

The call was made on Friday in Abuja at the Soyuznik Alumni National Congress, a gathering of Nigerian graduates from the USSR and Eastern Europe, themed “Engineering Nigeria’s Future: From Education to Industrial Power.”

In his keynote address, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said Nigeria could no longer afford to leave its pool of highly trained engineers and technical experts untapped.

Represented by the the Director of Research and Statistics in the ministry, Asotibe Lambert, the Minister told participants that the government’s ambition to position Nigeria as an aviation hub in Africa would depend largely on skilled human capital rather than infrastructure alone.

“You represent a massive, underutilised reservoir of technical excellence,” he said, noting that many alumni were trained in critical fields such as aerospace engineering, metallurgy and advanced physics.

Lambert explained that the ministry was working to establish world-class Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities to reduce dependence on foreign countries for aircraft servicing, adding that local expertise would be central to achieving that goal.

He also highlighted efforts to modernise Nigeria’s airspace through satellite-based navigation and digital ground operations, urging the alumni to move beyond nostalgia and apply their technical discipline to practical national solutions.

“My ministry is open to partnership. We need your mentorship, your consultancy and your experience to build a stronger aviation sector,” he said.

In a related address, the Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat), Jane Egerton-Idehen, who was represented by the Deputy General Manager of Innovation, Engr. Ikechukwu Amalu, stressed the need to align Nigeria’s education system with modern technological realities.

She said the country must bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industrial productivity by embedding digital skills and innovation into learning.

“To truly engineer Nigeria’s future, we must align our educational institutions with the demands of the digital age, where technologies like artificial intelligence, satellite communications and data science are redefining industries,” she said.

Egerton-Idehen noted that digital infrastructure had become as critical as physical infrastructure, describing connectivity as the “new oxygen” of economic growth.

According to her, satellite technology remains vital in bridging connectivity gaps, especially in underserved communities, while also supporting sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture and national security.

She highlighted ongoing initiatives by NIGCOMSAT, including the 774 Connectivity Project, broadband deployment to state ICT centres and partnerships in digital broadcasting, saying the organisation currently supports more than half of Nigeria’s broadcasters.

The NIGCOMSAT boss added that innovation must be driven through collaboration between government, academia and the private sector, noting that the agency’s Space Accelerator Programme had already supported thousands of startups in Nigeria’s emerging technology ecosystem.

“Every innovation must have a pathway to commercialisation. That is how we move from ideas to industrial power,” she said.

Earlier, Chairman of the Abuja branch of the association, Dr Agu Collins Agu, described the congress as more than a routine gathering, saying it represented a reunion of minds shaped by shared academic and cultural experiences across Eastern Europe.

“This is not just a congress; it is a rekindling of bonds and a strengthening of a community that has stood the test of time,” Agu said.

He noted that beyond electing new leadership, the alumni platform offers an opportunity to channel collective expertise into national development.

Participants at the congress agreed that Nigeria’s path to industrial growth would depend on its ability to harness its human capital, particularly professionals with specialised foreign training, while also modernising its education system to meet current technological demands. (The Guardian)