In a bid to address the dearth of manpower in the aviation sector, the Federal Government has approved the listing of Eastwing Aviation Training Institute under the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Having met the technical evaluation by the FG, the Institute can now commence the process of
admission of students through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board,
JAMB, and the students, upon completion of their studies, will be awarded
national diploma and high national diploma, respectively.
Speaking on the approval, the founder and CEO of Eastwing
Aviation, Dr. Christopher Edeh, urged youths to take advantage of the
opportunity offered by the institution to achieve their dream of becoming
pilots, aviation engineers, cabin crew or other functions found in the sector.
He said: “What this approval means for our youths is that
every one of them now has the opportunity to explore this field, even if it
means just coming to us for advice. The institution would encourage and help
build the dream because we do not want you to stay idle after graduating.
“It has been my desire to give back to society considering
what I have passed through from the day I joined the Nigerian Air Force.
“Being the first aviation school in the South-East region
means a lot to us. It means that I am getting closer to my dream and I have
reached that stage where society can benefit from me.”
Explaining the process of
getting the institute certified, Edeh disclosed that he worked with
former colleagues to realize the project. “Those who worked with me on this
project were colleagues that we served together. They have been very supportive
throughout this quest. It was purely a communal effort, what you would call
‘Wazobia’ and we are where we are today.”
The Eastwing Aviation Institute also recently established a
non-governmental organisation to encourage less privileged youths who are
talented and who meet the basic requirements but are not able to financially
pursue their dreams.
According to the founder, “We are hopeful that the new dawn
would encourage a huge turn up. Many people regard the aviation sector as
rocket science; now we have brought it to their doorsteps. For interested
candidates, there are many areas in this field they can fit in; go to airports,
all you see are many people carrying luggage and we believe they can do more
than that.”
Speaking further, Dr Edeh recounted: “A good example is one
of the security personnel I worked with who was talented and hardworking. I
realised this and encouraged him to do more for himself seeing that he has
potential. Today, he is an aircraft maintenance engineer in one of the
airlines.”