By Abiola Olawale
Nigeria is on the verge of a significant milestone in its technological and aerospace journey, as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has announced that the country’s first locally made helicopter is nearing completion.
According to the agency, this groundbreaking project is in its final stages, with preparations underway for the helicopter’s maiden test flight, expected to take place soon.
The announcement came from Kareem Aduagba, the Project Manager at NASENI’s Aeronautics and Air Vehicle Development Institute in Kaduna, during a stakeholder engagement event held on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.
Aduagba shared that the helicopter project is anchored on a combination of local expertise and existing aeronautical advancements, rather than starting entirely from scratch. NASENI has utilized semi-knockdown (SKD) and complete knockdown (CKD) models, integrating these with Nigerian engineering know-how to create a functional aircraft.
He said: “Very soon, we are going to do the first test. Everything is nearing completion now, and very soon, we will fly the first made-in-Nigeria helicopter.
“What we are doing now is not to reinvent the wheel. We had one of our projects being started from the first principle, which we are working on, both the made-in-Nigeria helicopter and some unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
“We have some which we bought over from developed countries, which we had them in semi-knockdown (SKD) and some complete knockdown (CKD).
“So, we are now making use of science and engineering knowledge to work on the SKD and the CKD.”
Somilarly, Abdulfatai Ambali, head of the manufacturing services department at the Hydraulic Equipment Development Institute, Kano (under NASENI), emphasised the agency’s role in national development.
Ambali added that NASENI has a renewed focus on commercialisation, collaboration, and creation under its current leadership.
He said many Nigerians are not aware of NASENI and its activities, noting that with the current leadership, the agency is prioritising awareness, stakeholder engagement, and community impact.
