Kano — Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has said that his government is planning to sponsor 100 youths for training as pilots and aviation engineers in three selected institutions in Nigeria and abroad. The governor said this while receiving the management team of AZMAN Air Services, owned by a Kano-based entrepreneur, AbdulManafi Yunusa. Kwankwaso also called on businessmen in the state to invest in economic ventures which he said would help the government in providing employment for youths in the state.

He appealed to aviation companies in Nigeria to support the government of Kano State in its determination to engage its youths in the sector. The governor urged the management of AZMAN Air Services to recruit certified pilots, ensure maintenance of its planes to avert problems that could result in crashes and to recruit its staff from the state.

Earlier, the chairman of AZMAN Air Services, AbdulManafi Yunusa, said his company is planning to introduce planes into the aviation market to ply both domestic and international routes by September 2012, as part of efforts to contribute to the growth of the aviation industry.