The Rector, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, Capt. Alkali Modibbo, has called for the upward review of staff remuneration to stave off attrition.
He said the college was losing trained and experienced instructors and other professionals to the aviation industry.
The rector made the appeal when the House Committee on Aviation visited the college for an oversight function on Friday in Zaria.
According to him, there is high attrition of professionals in the college to the aviation industry due to low remuneration.
“You will see pilots running away to the airliners, traffic controllers running to NAMA and some of our professionals running to NCAA.
“I hope the National Assembly will look into this and review the remuneration upward to enable us to keep our experts and trained instructors,” he said.
The rector informed the committee that funding remained one of the major pressing challenges of the college.
He appealed to the National Assembly for the speedy amendment and passage of the Act that established the college.
Modibbo said the amendment was to enable the status of the college to be changed to a tertiary institution so that it attracts funding from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
He noted that between January and October 609 students graduated in 51 courses at the college while 517 students were currently studying 31 courses.
On the recovery of the college’s encroached land, the rector said the management would soon fence its land and go ahead with the expansion and extension of its runways to enable bigger aircraft to land for private and commercial purposes.
In his remarks, Deputy Chairman House Committee on Aviation, Mr Musa-Mohammed Alkaleri, said the committee was satisfied with the development at the college.
He said the committee was aware of the money that had been released to the college, noting that development in the institution outweighed the released funds.
Alkaleri said the committee would discuss with the Federal Ministry of Finance for more funds to be released to the college.
The committee renewed its commitment to amending the Act that established the college to enable it to attract funding from TETFund.
