500 unemployed pilots, engineers take to taxi driving

500 unemployed pilots, engineers take to taxi driving

- Over 500 unemployed pilots and aviation engineers have taken to menial jobs like taxi driving in Nigeria

- These professionals are also seeking an audience with the ministers of aviation and interior

- The aviation professional have asked the ministers to intervene in their matter

The unemployment rate in Nigeria has gone so high that even pilots and engineers are affected.

New Telegraph in a recent report said over 300 pilots and an estimated 200 engineers in Nigeria have taken to menial jobs in order to earn a living.

Legit.ng gathered the 500 unemployed in the aviation industry have taken to odd jobs like Taxi driving and any kind of job they can lay their hands on.

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These aviation professional have also moved to compel their parent body, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) to meet with the minister of aviation Hadi Sirika and his interior counterpart Abdulrahman Dambazau.

500 unemployed pilots, engineers take to taxi driving
The aviation professional have asked the ministers to intervene in their matter

The professionals in their plea called for the ministers intervention in their plight.

Lamenting the national president of the association Ahmed Maikudi said many pilots and engineers are currently out of job.

Maikudi said it costs over $200,000 to train a pilot and a little less to train as an aircraft engineer.

He said: “It is true that our pilots and engineers are out of job. There are some that have never been employed. Some of them have become cab drivers, pure water sellers and other menial jobs.

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“Part of our programmes is to restore the dignity of our labour and that is for those who are working and those who are outside.”

He said the association is exploring avenues where it can work with the Nigerian government to restore the glory of the aviation industry.

Also speaking on the level of unemployment in the industry, the chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria Noggie Megison said he set up a platform for all unemployed aviation professionals to ensure focus in the sector.

“I set up this platform for young pilots who haven’t found jobs as common pool where employers can tap from. It also provides them the opportunity to come together and get acquainted with developments in the aviation sector so they don’t lose sight of changes in the sector rather than just sit at home and do nothing," Megison said.

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He noted that about 170 pilots with Nigerian licence had registered as members of the organization.

He said: "I can’t employ all of them, so I advised them to come together so they can collectively put forth their plight to relevant stakeholders in the industry. Going forward, we will be creating awareness about the young pilots’ predicaments.

The awareness will also tell industry operators there is a pool of young pilots they can draw from rather than engaging expatriate pilots alone," he said.

You can watch this Legit.ng video of Nigerian calling for a mass burial of leaders in the country:

Source: Legit.ng

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