Six years after its acquisition, the $21 million Boeing 737 Next Generation (B737NG) simulator at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, is still grounded.

The failure of the college to put the equipment into use was unconnected with the insecurity in some parts of the country, especially in the North.

Speaking with The Guardian over the weekend, the Rector of NCAT, Dr Danjuma Ismaila, said the college was prepared to put the equipment to use, but the Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM) claim of insecurity in the country stalled the process.

Ismaila also said that significant progress had been made towards deploying the equipment to be used by the college.

According to the rector, the B737NG simulator was non-functional when he assumed office about a year ago, but NCAT engineers, in collaboration with the Montreal, Canada-based manufacturer, had resolved about 80 per cent of the technical issues through virtual diagnostics and remote maintenance.

He, however, said the remaining 20 per cent required the physical presence of the OEM’s engineers, but regretted that security advisories from its embassy in Nigeria and negative reports about the country’s security situation delayed their coming to Nigeria.

Since NCAT acquired the equipment in 2020, the college has faced a series of challenges in putting the machine to use.

First, it was the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that failed to certify the equipment, a situation which led to the nation’s airlines taking their pilots out of the country, especially to Europe and the Middle East, for recertification exercises, thereby leading to loss of millions of dollars by the country and NCAT yearly.

Nigeria is the only country in West and Central African countries with the B737NG simulator equipment.

Also, the majority of the country’s airlines operate B737 aircraft in their fleets.

Ismaila, in a recent interview, had said the full use of the equipment would earn NCAT at least $500 per hour, improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while also saving the country from capital flight.

The immediate past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had led the country to CAE in Montreal, Canada, for the procurement of the equipment.

The machine was immediately installed for the college by the manufacturer, but remained inactive for years due to certification issues with the NCAA.

Besides, the rector attributed the delayed delivery of an additional 11 Diamond 42 trainer aircraft to funding challenges.

He explained that while the college signed a contract for 20 aircraft, only nine had been delivered so far due to the non-release of funds to the contractor. (The Guardian, excluding headline)