UN to set up aviation schools in Nigeria: official

The United Nations will set up two aviation institutes in Nigeria to enhance the West African country's security and safety in the aviation sector, a UN official said on Thursday.

Douglas Melvin, the UN-appointed project manager for the schools, told reporters in Abuja that the choice of Nigeria out of 25 countries considered was in appreciation of its clear road-map in developing the aviation sector, with particular emphasis on safety and security.

"The country stands to reap more benefits than the training of its aviation security personnel by the best available security experts," he said.

The institutes will be located in Abuja, the Nigerian capital and Lagos.

The project will largely support Nigeria's overall counter-terrorism strategy by providing a key element of a robust national aviation security policy, Melvin said, adding that this would also help to effectively mitigate the threat posed to civil aviation by terror forces and their organizations.

Nigeria is expected to participate in the provision of training premises and supply of low-cost aviation training equipment, among others, said Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Aviation.

According to him, the institutes, when completed, will serve as massive boost to the country's desire to become a regional aviation hub. Endit