The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been urged to clamp down on unlicensed drone operators across the country to enhance airspace safety and professionalism in the aviation sector.
The call was made by the Chief Instructor of an Aviation Academy, Mr. Samuel Sunday, during the graduation ceremony of 12 certified drone pilots in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over the weekend.

Sunday, whose academy is the first NCAA-approved drone training institution in Nigeria, emphasized that unauthorized drone operations pose serious safety risks and undermine the integrity of the aviation industry.

He explained that the establishment of ARCO Aviation Academy was driven by the need to reduce the cost and stress of obtaining drone pilot certification abroad.

According to him, the institution has also subsidized training costs to make certification more accessible while retaining aviation-related revenue within the country.

He noted that the academy has now graduated 16 certified drone pilots, comprising the first batch of four and the second batch of twelve, who completed their Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) training.