Senate Passes Bill To Put Aviation College Under TETFUND

The Senate, on Tuesday, passed the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Aviation.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC/Kogi-West), in his presentation, said the bill seeks to provide for the organisation, control and operation of training programmes related to the aviation sector and other related matters.

Adeyemi added that it also seeks to provide the skills required for aircraft manufacturing, distribution, installation, maintenance and operation of technical equipment to increase the margin of operational safety of civil aircraft services.

The senator noted that the college is currently accredited by the National Board for Technical Education to run National Diploma and Higher National Diploma courses.

He added that the college admits ND and HND students through the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, while its graduates are eligible to participate in the National Youth Service Corps.

Adeyemi explained that the bill’s passage and eventual assent into law would legalise the new status of the college and enable it to be listed by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to benefit from TETFUND.

The senator added being a TETFUND beneficiary would “allow it (college) to fill significant gaps through the fund.”

The lawmaker stressed that the bill’s passage would also provide the needed legal backing for the college as a regional training centre of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Meanwhile, two bills seeking to establish a Chartered Risk Institute of Nigerians as well as a National Research and Innovation Council and a National Research and Innovation Foundation have scaled second reading in the Senate.

The bills were sponsored by Senators Tolupe Odebiyi (Ogun-West) and Frank Ibezim (Imo-North), respectively.

The bills after consideration were both referred by the

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bills to the Committees on Establishment and Public Service Matters; and Science and Technology, respectively.

Both committees were given four weeks each to report back to the upper chamber in plenary.