NCAT May Be Upgraded to Degree- awarding Institution

Chinedu Eze
The House of Representatives has said that it will facilitate the process of making the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT) Zaria to become a degree awarding institution in no distant time.

This was disclosed by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, at the weekend.

Nnaji, gave the assurance in Zaria, Kaduna State, when he led his committee members to the college on an oversight function.

He said his committee would expedite action for the institution’s amendment Bill, which is currently before the House, to pave way for its eventual upgrade.

“As a committee, we are quite impressed with what we have seen on ground here and whatever support we can give as legislators to make the operations of the college better we will not hesitate to do so,” he said.

Nnaji, who represents Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency of Enugu State, reiterated the need for government to invest more in aviation because of its critical role in the economy and stressed that the committee was in the college as part of its legislative mandate to oversight the agencies under the Ministry of Aviation.

He commended the management for the level of facilities available in the college and promised that the committee would continue to interact with the agency and the Ministry of Aviation to see how its funding could be improved.

He also urged the Rector, Captain Abdusalami Mohammed, and his team to continue to explore more avenues of ensuring that the country’s air transport industry is sustained through the training of adequate manpower for the sector.

Earlier, the Rector, had while taking the committee members round the college facilities, lamented that the Act that gave birth to the institution had not been amended in the past 60 years, urging the committee to help push for speedy the passage of its pending Bill before the National Assembly.

According to him, the Act if amended would upgrade the college to a degree- awarding institution, which would in turn qualify it to access Tertiary Education Tax Fund, (TETFUND).