Enugu— Aviation stakeholders have urged Nigerian youths to acquire practical skills and explore the wide range of career opportunities in the aviation industry to remain competitive in a changing global economy.
They made the call at the 2026 South East Aviation Summit/Eastwing Youth Aviation Competition (SASEYC) 2.0, held in Enugu, where Felix Chinecherem from Enugu State emerged winner of the youth aviation competition.
Speaking at the summit, Dr Chidi Emelu, Regional Airspace Manager and General Manager, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, said academic qualifications alone were no longer sufficient to guarantee employment.
Emelu urged youths to develop competence, problem-solving abilities, adaptability and good character, stressing the importance of punctuality, responsibility, teamwork, tolerance and innovation in professional development.
He said technological advancement could disrupt established businesses, citing the declining demand for generators following the growing adoption of solar energy.
Emelu challenged youths to focus on what they could design, repair, build or do to solve societal problems.
The Royal Father of the Day, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, former Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Ruler Council, commended the Founder of Eastwing Aviation Institute for promoting manpower development through the summit.
Agubuzu said the event went beyond awards to celebrate the potential of young people to improve themselves and contribute to economic development.
He urged youths to explore aviation careers beyond piloting, including cabin crew, aircraft maintenance engineering, aviation management, safety, air traffic services, ticketing, passenger services, logistics and aviation security.
He also advised youths not to allow fear of flying to discourage them from pursuing aviation careers, describing air transportation as a highly developed and relatively safe means of transportation.
He encouraged them to obtain proper training and professional qualifications to improve their employment prospects.
Dr Ibrahim Bashir, Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Yobe, said many Nigerians remained unaware of the wide range of career opportunities available in the aviation industry.
Bashir, citing Boeing projections, said the global aviation industry would require about 2.5 million workers over the next five years, including pilots, engineers, cabin crew and ground operators.
He urged Nigerian youths to acquire relevant skills and compete for the opportunities.
He also encouraged young people to develop skills in emerging fields such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, stressing that continuous learning was essential in a rapidly changing global economy.
The Director of Eastwing Aviation Foundation and Convener of the summit, Mr Christian Agadibe, said the youth competition was introduced to attract young people to aviation and make them active participants in the summit.
Agadibe said the competition began last year, with selected participants trained in hospitality, tourism, customer service, aviation, etiquette and reservation before finalists underwent specialised aviation software training.
He said Chinecherem, the winner, received an aviation scholarship to study any course at Eastwing Aviation Institute, adding that the initiative was designed to enable young people pursue aviation careers regardless of their parents’ financial circumstances.
The Founding Partner of AeroPath, Laure Jifack, urged African youths to stop viewing aviation from the outside and see themselves as potential participants in the industry.
Jifack said Africa would require about 24,000 new aircraft maintenance technicians by 2044, according to Boeing, describing the projected skills gap as an opportunity to build a stronger African aviation workforce.
Earlier, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eastwing Aviation Institute, Dr Christopher Edeh, said the institute had obtained approval from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as a specialised institution for training youths in aviation-related fields.
Edeh also said the institute had approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the regulatory body for civil aviation in Nigeria.
He said the institute’s scholarship initiative was designed to change the perception that aviation education was exclusively for wealthy families, stressing that qualified young people should have access to aviation training irrespective of their parents’ financial status.
Edeh added that the summit and competition were designed to identify young talents, expose them to opportunities in aviation and create pathways for them to acquire professional training and build careers in the industry.
