AFIT matriculates 277 for 2016/2017 academic session
//Godwin Ekosin, Kaduna Northwest Nigeria//
Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Kaduna on Thursday matriculated 277 fresh students for its 2016/2017 academic in National and Higher National programmes.
Explaining the rationale behind the limited number of admission the institute offered, Provost, Professor Emmanuel Ezugwu said the Institute could only admitted 277 out of over 10,000 applicants who applied base on available infrastructures on ground.
The Institute had admitted only a fraction of applicants who showed interest in engineering courses in its 2016/2017 academic session many of whom meet up with admission requirements.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the matriculation ceremony held at Yisa Doko Hall, Air Force Base Kaduna, the varsity don was optimistic that if the AFIT Bill, which according to him is at final stage in the National Assembly is eventually passed into law and assented to by Mr. President, it will afford the Institute the opportunity of getting its funds directly from federal government which will then give room for more infrastructures to accommodate more Nigerians who want to develop career in engineering.
According to him, “we do not want to admit people we cannot take care of. We are admitting base on available infrastructures on ground for the purpose of qualitative studies. We don’t want to pack people like sand and overstretch the limited facilities the way other people do.
“Our priority now is that, we are looking up to federal government for infrastructural development of this great Institute which is second best in aviation engineering after the Aviation College in Zaria.
“We are also greatly concerned about AFIT Bill before the NASS and getting it assented to by Mr. President. I think the Bill has been approved by the Senate while House of Assembly is working on its final stage which it will from there go to Mr. President for assent. In that case, we can now have direct funding by FG and not by Air Force as currently the case”, he stressed.
He further noted that, “There is an urgent need to link programs and activities to the development of priorities of Nigeria. Education curricula should be reviewed periodically to meet the demands of a knowledge economy”.
In a remark, Commandant of AFIT, Air Vice Mashal Isiaku Bukar told the guests and matriculating students that, the matriculation, which is the third edition since its introduction in 2014/2015 academic session, is a proof that NAF is working and imbuing in young Nigerians the virtue of innovations and technology development of the country due to AFIT unique aeronautical engineering programmes.
He then implored matriculating students to be law abiding, respectful and obey all rules and regulations of the Institute and to refrain from any act of violence, cultism, examination malpractices and other action that may jeopardize the work of the Institute and that of their families.
The 277 AFIT freshmen Class of 2016/2017 academic session are drawn from a pool of about 10,000 applicants from 36 states of the federation comprising of 57 females and 220 males with 133 of the total number enrolled for ND while the remaining 144 are for the HND programmes.