Pilots back NCAT tuition hike

Stakeholders in the aviation industry have voiced support for the increase in the standard pilot fee at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, describing the hike as long overdue. The institution had not revised its tuition for many years, and recent reports indicate that NCAT announced an upward review of the standard pilot course fee—from N7 million to N13 million—citing inflationary pressures and exchange‑rate volatility.

In an interview with our Abuja correspondent on Friday, Alex Nwuba, President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria and former Chief Executive Officer of Associated Airlines, acknowledged that the higher cost is painful amid a tightening economy, but argued that it is justified. He noted that rising expenses affect everyone, including academic staff salaries and operational fuel costs. “The easiest thing to do is review the exchange rate, and you will see that in real terms it is cheaper today than it was ten years ago. Yet wages aren’t rising to keep up with inflation, and if they don’t, things will get out of hand,” he said. Nwuba warned that student attendance may decline, but emphasized that the fee remains lower than the cost of studying abroad. “We need to pray for economic reform so that citizens can improve their quality of life,” he added.

Capt. Roland Iyayi, Chief Executive Officer of Top Brass Aviation, expressed concern that the fee increase could affect future student enrollment. He argued that students should receive support from state governments and corporate bodies to afford the course. “I suspected that it would affect the student population, but ideally the state government or corporate bodies ought to support students,” Iyayi said. He lamented the lack of responsive government sponsorship, noting that in more developed societies students often obtain loan facilities for such programs. “NCAT has not increased its tuition fees in a long time; unfortunately, it has been caught up in the economic crisis. With all these rising costs, there is no way one would be able to manage,” he explained.

Despite these challenges, Iyayi did not believe the tuition hike was intended to make things harder for students. He argued that the percentage increase is fair compared with other schools and warned that without the raise, NCAT might struggle to meet its financial demands.