Baze University, Abuja, has acquired two training aircraft from Austria as part of efforts to expand aviation education and practical flight training in Nigeria.
The aircraft arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Friday and received a water cannon salute.
The university’s founding Pro-Chancellor, Datti Baba-Ahmed, disclosed the acquisition, saying it would strengthen the country’s aviation training capacity and help develop skilled professionals.
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Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, described the investment as part of a broader vision to build institutions that contribute to national development.
In a reflection shared on Facebook on Saturday, Adeniyi said the acquisition demonstrated how entrepreneurship could drive economic growth through vision, hard work, borrowing and reinvestment.
“Successful entrepreneurs do not necessarily wait to become debt-free before expanding. They distinguish productive borrowing from reckless indebtedness, deploying resources into assets that create lasting economic value,” he wrote.
The two aircraft are expected to support practical flight training at Baze Aviation School, being developed in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The proposed aviation school will combine classroom instruction with practical training. Its planned facilities include a runway, hangar, terminal building, laboratories and simulation centres.
The school’s coordinator, Aliyu Bello, said the aircraft would enable students to acquire hands-on experience alongside ground-school instruction.
Baba-Ahmed also disclosed plans to train at least 600 professionals in fields including air traffic control, air rescue and firefighting, subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities.
He said the institution was planning an aerodrome hub with a runway measuring 1,800 metres by 30 metres, with an additional 15 metres.
The National Universities Commission has approved two undergraduate programmes at the university for the 2026/2027 academic session: Aviation Management under the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, and Aerospace Engineering under the Faculty of Engineering.
Adeniyi said the university intended to become the first private university in Africa to operate its own aviation school.
He linked the acquisition to Baba-Ahmed’s wider investment in education and healthcare, citing the establishment of Baze University, Baze Hospital and Baba-Ahmed University in Kano.
According to the vice-chancellor, investments in education, healthcare and aviation could create jobs, develop local expertise and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on foreign professionals.
He argued that the value of entrepreneurship should be measured not only by the wealth generated for investors but also by the institutions established and the national needs addressed.
“Perhaps the lesson is that great enterprises are built not simply with money, but through vision, sacrifice, perseverance and the capacity to transform ambition into productive institutions,” Adeniyi wrote.
He congratulated Baba-Ahmed on the acquisition, describing it as another step in an investment drive aimed at creating lasting economic value
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