They are ladies, but they operate in another world, up in the sky. This is the story of Nigeria’s women pilots who have broken glass ceiling in a ‘male-dominated career’ and are doing great in the flying business. Yetunde Oladeinde and Misturah Ayoade write.
IT’S boarding time and the passengers walk in, looking forward to a hitch-free flight. A pretty lady also walked in, looking gorgeous. ‘Wow, beautiful hostess!’ A male passenger whispered. No, she’s not a hostess, another whispered. That’s our pilot; she is the one flying the aircraft.”
She moves to the flight deck and it’s time to take-off. Butterflies? No need to worry; she took charge and became the admiration of all as they landed safely at their destination.
Welcome to the world of Nigerian female pilots. The crux of the matter is that the sector is a traditionally male-dominated industry, with women more likely to be found working in the cabin than the cockpit – but of course, times are changing.
The trend is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. Globally, around 4,000 of the 130,000 airline pilots are women, according to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots. Fewer still are captains worldwide; and a quick survey revealed just about 450 of such daring women.
The number is likely to get bigger because an increasing number of women are pursuing careers in aircraft piloting, and are today eager to inspire a new generation.
One of these daring women is young, pretty Ladidi Kolo. She is happy she got inspired to settle for a career she was passionate about against the odds. Happily she goes down memory lane to talk about the happy moments, the challenges and her very first experience flying. “It was terrifying, but as time went by, I got used to it. And because of the love and passion I had for flying, I quickly overcame my fears. You know what it feels like when it’s your first time of learning how to drive. You are a little scared and careful, but as time goes on you will get used to it. It is funny though, but right now I feel safer on air than when on ground.”
You wonder what her fears are each time she is air-borne and she replies this way: “I don’t even think of plane crash; if it is possible, I can relocate and live high up there. My fear now is on the road. When I came back and I was told to ride on an okada (commercial motorbike), I was so scared. I wish I can go anywhere I want by air – no matter how short the distance.”
Ladidi actually believes that flying an aircraft has nothing to do with gender. “I feel great. I believe in gender equality. People wrongly perceive that pilot training should be or are designed for young, mechanically-inclined males. Exceptions may apply when the women are exceptional. It is this gender inequality issue that makes people who have little or no knowledge about flying feel that it’s a job for men only.”
Male trainees, she opines, have the same challenges that their female counterparts have, and so it shouldn’t be seen as a profession for a particular gender. Her words: “In the course of my training, there were even men that gave up; men who couldn’t complete the training course. However, I completed the rigorous training course. So I’m grateful to God for seeing me through. He crowned all my efforts with success.”
For a better future, the energetic lady says women need to get the right education and have a clear idea of where they want to be to succeed in life. “I believe females should be educated and accorded equal opportunities. Their confidence level should be elevated as that of their male counterparts. The pilot training courses are capital intensive. So, aside encouraging females, I feel the fees should be subsidised. The females should be given an enabling environment to encourage them to come into the industry.”
Interestingly, she believes strongly that flying is good for women because of their ability to multi task. “I would say that being a good pilot is not about gender but more about your professionalism. However, women have an innate advantage because of the ability to switch between multiple tasks, which are a necessary skill when flying a plane and reacting to unexpected situations that might cause an accident. I also think women have an intuitive advantage too.”
Even though Ladidi has her certification, she tells you that she still has a long way to go, to get to her dreams. “I have my Foreign Pilot License but I still need to get to the next stage, which is the Commercial Pilot License. I know the economy is bad now and things are pretty difficult but I am looking up to God. Only God can make my dreams come true, because for my first training, my parents had to sell the only car we had and it didn’t even cover anything.”
She added: “Also, my father’s friend, Mr. Eric Garuba, was an instrument that helped in the structured payments. He is not even from my place, and not from my state. He encouraged me and told my dad not to worry, that he would help with the school, which he did. I currently have two flying school admissions in America and South Africa, but the cost – about $57,000 for a 6-9-month course duration – is quite scary and I know my parents won’t be able to pay.”
For some of these women, flying wasn’t even their first love. One of such is Jesuleke Elizabeth Akinpelumi. Settling down to a brief chat, she says, “I am a graduate of Microbiology from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. I went on to study Flight Dispatch at NCAT, Zaria, after which I worked for some years as a flight dispatcher.”
Shortly after, she proceeded to South Africa, where she trained as a helicopter pilot.
Now you want to know what influenced her decision to become a pilot, and she replies this way: “My decision to venture into the aviation industry came about as a suggestion from a friend who was already in the industry. I decided to find out more and I fell in love with the aviation world.”
Asked how long the ‘lady bird’ has been flying, she says: “I have been flying for about five years now. Well, I fly helicopters. It’s the coolest, most rewarding job and career. Like the old saying goes ‘To fly is heaven, but to hover is divine.’
Recalling her memorable moments in the air and the thrills of the job, Akinpelumi says, “Flying a helicopter is quite an excellent experience. You do know that you have two hands and two feet, but until you fly a helicopter, you haven’t used such coordination to that extent and with such precision.”
Akinpelumi continues: “But it’s just a skill like any other. It takes intention, no more than average intelligence, proper spatial orientation, and profound respect for gravity. Of course, the experience of actually flying is vastly different, depending on what type of pilot you are.”
The variety available includes being a helicopter pilot, a recreational pilot, fighter pilot, as well as airline pilot. “All across the spectrum, pilots have vastly different experiences, and like all human beings, vastly different views on what it’s like to be them. Every day you go out to fly is different; what you encountered the day before may not be what you will face the next day. So far, I have had pleasant experiences in my flying career. Sometimes, we are faced with awful weather and we have to navigate safely to our destination; on other occasions, something may get faulty while en route. But for most days, it’s just enjoying the beautiful scenario! The joy is that at the end of the day, you can get to your destination and land safely.”
Scrolling down memory lane, she recalls that her class was made up of twenty-five students, five of which were ladies. But things have changed; more exposure has led more ladies into aviation-related careers. “We were a group of 18 that trained together, there were 5 ladies in the group and we are all pilots today.”
Even as things are changing, it appears like a lot of girls are not aware of this career opportunity -probably because of the mentality that it’s a job for the men.
“This ‘male career mentality’ may be one of the factors accounting for the low number of women compared to men. It’s not the kind of thing people talk about in schools. You get young boys who say they want to be a pilot or an astronaut, whereas girls are not so encouraged. And if they’re not told from a young age that it’s a possibility, then they don’t keep hold of the idea,” Akinpelumi opines.
Memorable Moments as a pilot? Akinpelu says, “Yes, there are quite a few. One was the day I received my commercial license. I remember being filled with a beautiful sense of accomplishment. Another was the day I went on my first solo flight (you get to fly alone unassisted), beautiful day it was!”
Challenges abound in the aviation industry, especially for women, but these amazons believe that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.
“I try to put in my best into whatever task I am assigned, and I maintain a positive attitude – no matter the situation I come across. I also believe in prayers when I am faced with challenges. God has never failed me,” Akinpelumi tells you matter-of-factly.
Joan Obasi
Catching them young is something you find in this profession too. Captain Joan Obasi, Nigeria’s youngest female pilot, comes to mind here. She has been recognised by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and she works with Arik Air, flying the Lagos-Johannesburg flights. Prior to becoming a certified pilot, Obasi had first worked as a flight attendant.
Marriage
However, the big question on the lips of many is if the job can be easily combined with marriage. Quite interestingly, some of these women are happily married. You also have some who found love in the air so to speak – as they end up marrying co-pilots. Aniema Violet Enahoro falls into this category.
The lady, who hails from Oron in Akwa Ibom State, is married to a pilot from Edo State. Her words: “I am married to a pilot and this works perfectly for me. They say pilots talk about flying a lot. It’s true, it never gets boring. No two days are really the same, and usually, I can’t wait to get home and tell him about some weird escapades and vice versa. I also have a 3-year-old and another on the way, which means I’ll have to stop flying soon.”
Going down history, you definitely cannot ignore Captain Chinyere Kalu, who became the first female pilot in Nigeria in 1978, literally setting the pace for her colleagues. Inspired and motivated by her aunt, the journey to fame began.
“I trained as a commercial and private pilot. I also took a few aviation courses in Zaria, UK, and the USA,” she began.
Determined to excel, she not only set the pace, she gradually moved to the top of her career in an industry that was truly male-dominated.
In recognition of her dedication, President Goodluck Jonathan made her the Chief Executive and Rector of Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), the biggest aviation training institute in the whole continent.
Just before this opportunity, Chinyere Kalu was leading the college’s Flying School where she worked as a contractual instructor.
Her contribution to the development of the country has not gone unnoticed and has earned her numerous awards, amongst which are: Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR) 2006; Member, Nigerian Women Achievers HALL OF FAME and Nigeria’s 50 Greatest Women of Democratic Administration of Ghana 2012.
In year 2012, two pilots made history after becoming female fighter pilots in the Nigerian Air Force at a training outside the country. They are Flying Officers OS Ijelu and GC Nwaogwgwu. Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar then said both officers were the first female combatant pilots since Nigeria’s independence. Their achievements thus made the event a unique one for the country.
“It is the first time in the history of the NAF that female Regular Combatant officers would be decorated with wings as qualified pilots,” he informed.
That same year, Blessing Liman, another military personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, made history as Nigeria’s first female military pilot. Liman is a descent of Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna State. Also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, she enlisted into the Nigeria Air Force in July 2011 and was commissioned on 9 December 2011.
Ola Orekunrin Brown
It will undoubtedly come across as great injustice if Ola Orekunrin Brown is overlooked in this discourse. A pilot of great reckoning, Brown is the brain behind Nigeria’s air ambulance known as Flying Doctors. Sadly, the idea for the initiative was berthed when her younger sister fell ill in one of Nigeria’s remotest parts.
There were no air ambulances and the search took them from Nigeria to Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and across West Africa. Finally, they found one in South Africa, which was five hours away but by the time the logistics were arranged, her sister had died. After graduation, Ola worked for ten years with the National Health Service, United Kingdom.
As a helicopter pilot with specialised training in aviation medicine, she pioneered the first air operated emergency medical services in Lagos.
Today, Flying Doctors has 20 aircrafts and 44 doctors, who can deliver care en route to one of Nigeria’s hospitals. The company hires out their services to major events in Nigeria, as well as offering insurance to wealthy companies and families in the country. The initiative has helped to save many lives and continues to be a source of motivation for many.
“I try to do a bit of both the clinical and the management. A lot of our patients are very sick and require a very specialist skill set. We usually work in two or three doctor crews. Sometimes [the patient will] just be brought in to Lagos. If they’re being flown in from quite a remote part of Nigeria, then Lagos and Abuja are usually their destinations. We [also] get patients flown in from Mali, from Chad, from Niger, into Nigeria for treatment. And then obviously, the whole of the off-shore industry relies on helicopter air ambulances to bring people who have been injured, or [fallen] ill off-shore, onto the shore for treatment,” she said.