The Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uche Ugwu, has thrown his weight behind the forthcoming Face of Eastwing/Southeast Aviation Summit 2025, organised by the Eastwing Aviation Institute (EAI), Enugu. The landmark event is scheduled to hold in September 2025 and aims to spotlight the opportunities in the aviation sector for youths across the Southeast.
Rt. Hon. Ugwu gave the endorsement during a courtesy visit by the management of the aviation institute to his office on Thursday in Enugu. He pledged his full support for the initiative and emphasized the need to generate more visibility for the institution and its impactful programs.
“I will use whatever is in my capacity to support the summit, even speaking with my other colleagues to key into the programme,” he said, noting that awareness remains a major challenge. “But on your own, there is need to create awareness about this, as our people here patronise only what they know, like medicine, law, nursing, and other courses,” Ugwu advised.
Earlier in the meeting, the Provost of the Institute, Dr. Abioye Babalola, said the purpose of the visit was to officially inform the Speaker about the summit and to seek legislative goodwill. According to him, the 2025 Southeast Aviation Summit will train 100 youths from the region in various aviation skills that will empower them to become self-reliant.
Dr. Babalola expressed concern that the majority of EAI’s current students come from the South West and South South regions, stressing the need for Southeast youths to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the aviation industry.
Founded in 2013, Eastwing Aviation Institute is certified by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The provost highlighted that the institute offers a broad range of professional aviation courses, including flight dispatch, cabin crew training, ramp safety procedure, aeronautic store management, airline quality assurance, and airline ticketing.
“The institute single-handedly trained over 100 aviation personnel in different trades to support the take-off of the Anambra Airport in Awka,” Dr. Babalola noted. “We also approached the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in Kaduna to upgrade some of our courses to National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) levels, and that approval was granted in 2023.”
He affirmed that EAI graduates are performing at par with counterparts trained abroad and in other top aviation institutions in Nigeria.
“This is why we came to see you – to support this summit,” he added.
With the Speaker’s endorsement and the institute’s growing reputation, excitement is building across the Southeast ahead of the Face of Eastwing/Southeast Aviation Summit 2025. It promises to be a transformative platform for young people, aviation professionals, investors, and stakeholders in the region. Don’t miss out on this game-changing opportunity to explore the future of aviation in the Southeast. GMTNewsng
