UI to collaborate with NAF in aircraft engineering, weapons production

The University of Ibadan has indicated its willingness to partner with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in achieving homegrown solutions to some of its Research and Development (R & D) issues.

According to a statement on Monday, the deputy vice-chancellor, Research Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Olanike Adeyemo, disclosed this while receiving a team of researchers from NAF headquarters led by the Chief of Standards and Evaluation (COSE), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) John Baba, in her office over the weekend.

Mr Adeyemo stated that the University of Ibadan has the capacity in the area of automation, engineering and Information Communication Technology (ICT) to meet the request of the NAF.

She said “We have been looking forward to this kind of collaboration with the NAF as there is no way the institution can do it alone without experimenting the weapon on the field. We expect that in the next 2 years, we should be able to show what we have achieved as a result of this collaboration.”

NAF stated that the collaboration with the University of Ibadan would enhance the capacity of the NAF for effective and efficient service delivery.

The NAF reiterated its commitment towards a fruitful collaboration with the Institution in the areas of aircraft engineering, automation, ICT, communication and manufacturing of explosives. The collaboration, they said, would further reduce dependence on imported weapons.

As part of its renewed drive for strategic partnerships, it was gathered that the NAF team has, in addition to the University of Ibadan, visited the University of Lagos, Covenant University and the Federal University of Technology, Akure in the southwest of the country.