In a recent interview on AriseTV, Isaac Balami, the aviation expert and proprietor of the newly licensed Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management, passionately defended the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) decision to approve more private universities in Nigeria. Responding to critics who described some of the newly approved institutions as “glorified secondary schools,” Balami asserted that his university was established from a place of deep patriotism and global exposure—not profit or vanity.
“Our institution wasn’t born out of the desire to simply own a university. It emerged from a 20-year journey across global aviation institutions and conferences,” Balami said, recounting how he served as the National President of Aircraft Piloting Engineers for eight years and worked with over 60 aviation ministers worldwide. “It was during my time in Kansas, Wichita, for my manufacturer’s course that I truly saw what aviation education could be.”
Balami’s university, located in Oshodi, Lagos State, is a result of years of technical groundwork and industrial contribution. He emphasized that his aviation company, Seven-Star Global Hangar, has already been carrying out heavy aircraft maintenance on over 60 planes, including the presidential aircraft, long before the NUC license was granted. He noted that their engineers had pioneered thermocouple installations in aircraft engines in Africa—achievements that underscore the institution’s credibility.
With an ambitious curriculum focused on hands-on experience, Balami revealed that students at the university would accumulate between 7,000 to 10,000 hours of live aircraft maintenance work before graduation. “No school, not even Embry-Riddle in the US or Cranfield in the UK, offers that kind of immersive practical exposure,” he said. “We want our students graduating not only with theoretical knowledge but real-world expertise.”
The university is also structured to equip students with dual certifications—Nigerian and European pilot licenses—and international aircraft maintenance approvals. This, according to Balami, would ensure immediate employability and global competitiveness for graduates. “We already train engineers recognized by Boeing and Airbus, so our students will be coming out with both national and international credentials.”
On the issue of specialization, Balami defended the university’s dual focus on aeronautics and management. He pointed out that poor management has contributed significantly to the collapse of several Nigerian airlines. “You have pilots and engineers being appointed as managing directors of airlines without management training,” he said. “That’s why we’re integrating aviation management into our curriculum—leadership and corporate governance are just as critical as technical skills.”
When asked how such targeted institutions could help change the broader narrative in Nigeria’s aviation and education sectors, Balami spoke about building solutions from identified gaps. “It took me two decades to learn what we can now teach in five years. We want to give Nigerian youths the shortcut I never had,” he explained. “And we’re already seeing interest from parents in Kenya, South Africa, and even the UK and US who want to send their children here.”
Balami also emphasized the role of private stakeholders in salvaging Nigeria’s failing sectors. “The government alone cannot fix education or aviation,” he said. “We in the private sector have to step up. This is not just about building a school. It’s about nation-building, skill development, and reversing the brain drain.”
Asked about the NUC’s three-year probationary window for new universities, Balami described it as a necessary quality control mechanism. “NUC officials come without notice, every week, every month. They assess our compliance based on BEMAS standards—70% of which is non-negotiable. This keeps us on our toes,” he explained, adding that no serious private university proprietor would invest so much time and money without taking quality assurance seriously.
Balami challenged critics who dismiss new private universities as inferior. “Let them go and start their own universities if they think it’s easy,” he said. “Today, some of the best universities in Africa are private: look at Covenant, Nile, and Baze. These aren’t glorified secondary schools—they’re centres of excellence funded by people willing to make sacrifices.”
The aviation entrepreneur highlighted a major gap in Nigeria’s higher education system, citing statistics from the most recent UTME. “Almost four million students sat for the exam, but only about 400,000 will gain admission this year,” he lamented. “So what happens to the rest? This is why more universities, especially specialized ones like ours, are urgently needed.”
Speaking further, Balami noted that the process of securing a university license is rigorous and lengthy. “It took us four years. Some others took nine, even eleven years. The system is stringent, and it should be,” he said, warning against blanket condemnation of the newly licensed institutions.
He also appealed to government agencies like TETFund to consider supporting private institutions in the future, arguing that their contributions are no less important than those of public universities. “It’s time we rethink support structures. If private varsities are solving national problems, they deserve recognition and support too,” he asserted.
Wrapping up, Balami reiterated his commitment to excellence and national service through education. “This is not a business to us—it’s a mission. If we don’t build the kind of universities that prepare our youths for global challenges, we’ll keep losing talent to other countries,” he warned. “But if we do it right, Nigeria can become an international hub for aviation education and management.”
