18-Year-Old Enugu Girl from Nkanu Wins South-East Aviation Scholarship Competition

…As SASEYC 2.0 exposes over 50 young people to aviation careers, training and opportunities

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

An 18-year-old girl from Nkanu in Enugu State, Felix Favour Chinecherem, has emerged overall winner of the South-East Aviation Summit Eastwing Youth Competition, SASEYC 2.0, held in Enugu on Saturday.

Chinecherem’s victory came at the close of an aviation-focused youth summit that brought together more than 50 secondary school students, young aviation enthusiasts, educators, professionals and industry stakeholders in an effort to expose the younger generation to opportunities within Nigeria’s aviation industry.

The event, held at Bon Platinum Hotel, Enugu, was organised under the theme, “Advancing Youth Potentials Through Aviation Innovation and Excellence.”

For Chinecherem, however, the occasion became more than another youth competition. It became the moment a childhood ambition suddenly acquired a clearer pathway.

She reportedly broke down in tears when her name was announced as the overall winner and, in an emotional reflection, disclosed that she had dreamed of pursuing a career in aviation since she was 10.

She thanked God and those who created the opportunity for her to participate, while urging other young people not to abandon their dreams because of difficulties.

Her emergence provided a human face to the central message of SASEYC 2.0 — that talent can be discovered early, nurtured deliberately and connected to opportunities capable of changing the direction of a young person’s life.

The summit itself was designed to achieve precisely that.

Speaking during the programme, the Chief Executive Officer of Eastwing Aviation Institute, Dr. Christopher Edeh, said the initiative was born out of a desire to give young Nigerians the exposure and opportunities that were not readily available to earlier generations.

Drawing from his experience in the Nigerian Air Force, Edeh said young people needed to encounter aviation early enough to understand that the industry offered several professional pathways, from piloting and aircraft engineering to other specialised areas.

He also stressed the importance of developing credible training opportunities within Nigeria so that aspiring aviation professionals would not always have to travel abroad before accessing quality instruction.

Edeh spoke extensively on the history and development of aviation in Nigeria, including some of the operational challenges that have affected the sustainability of airlines.

He identified timely payment of workers’ salaries, replacement of life-limited aircraft components, continuous retraining of pilots and engineers, and effective management of fuel and other operational resources as among the fundamentals required for sustainable airline operations.

He commended the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority for its regulatory responsibilities in maintaining safety standards and ensuring compliance across the industry.

According to him, partnerships between Eastwing Aviation Institute, aviation institutions in Scotland and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology have also helped create opportunities for young people in the South-East to access industry-relevant training closer to home.

The Father of the Day, HRH Igwe Dr. Lawrence Agubuzu, commended the founder of Eastwing Aviation Institute for investing in youth development and manpower development.

Agubuzu urged young people not to allow fear of flying to discourage them from exploring aviation, while pointing out that the industry offered considerably more career options than piloting alone.

He identified aircraft maintenance engineering, cabin crew services, aviation operations, safety oversight, air traffic services, ticketing and passenger support, aviation security and administrative management among the areas young people could explore.

He encouraged participants to acquire relevant professional qualifications and specialised certifications that could improve their prospects in the increasingly competitive aviation industry.

The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Damaturu, Dr. Ibrahim Bello Bashir, focused on the global demand for aviation professionals and the opportunities it could create for young Nigerians.

Bashir referenced Boeing projections indicating significant future demand for aviation personnel globally, including pilots, engineers, cabin crew and ground operations professionals.

He said Nigeria’s large youth population could become an advantage if young people were equipped with the technical and professional skills required by the global economy.

According to him, the opportunity extends beyond the cockpit, with shortages of skilled personnel in several specialised areas of aviation creating opportunities for properly trained Nigerians.

He also urged young people to develop skills in other emerging sectors, including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, stressing that academic qualifications should be complemented by practical and internationally recognised professional certifications.

The need to build aviation capacity within Africa was also highlighted by Laure Jifack, founding partner of Aeropath and CEO of Ubuntu HR Consulting.

Jifack drew attention particularly to the shortage of aircraft maintenance engineers and certified technicians across the continent.

Citing Boeing projections, she said Africa would require approximately 24,000 additional aircraft maintenance technicians by 2044, while existing training capacity remained inadequate to meet the anticipated demand.

She described the gap as both a challenge and an opportunity for Africa to develop a stronger home-grown aviation workforce.

Jifack said partnerships between organisations such as Eastwing Aviation Institute and Aeropath could help identify promising young people early, create accessible pathways into aviation and connect them with internationally recognised training and certification opportunities, including EASA Part 66 qualifications.

She identified the cost of training, travel requirements and the length of professional training as some of the barriers preventing many talented young Africans from entering the aviation industry.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Queens Model Schools, Enugu, Chukwuma Ephraim Okenwa, emphasised discipline, personal responsibility and attention to detail as essential qualities for anyone aspiring to succeed in aviation.

Drawing from his experiences and exposure to aviation and aerospace history, Okenwa reminded the young participants that professional excellence was built through discipline, respect, hard work and adherence to standards.

He cautioned against compromising safety for economic considerations, noting that aviation leaves little room for negligence or disregard for established procedures.

The summit also provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress of the initiative since its inception.

The convener and Chief Executive Officer of Artmatazz Media, Christian Agadibe, recalled that the first edition of SASEYC produced Uyamadu Franklin as its winner.

According to Agadibe, Franklin has since progressed to Abuja, where he is currently undertaking industrial training in aircraft maintenance — a development he cited as evidence of what can happen when young people are exposed to opportunities at the right time.

SASEYC 2.0 built on that foundation by bringing young participants into direct contact with aviation professionals, educators and industry stakeholders, while broadening their understanding of the sector beyond the traditional image of pilots and aircraft.

Certificates were presented to the top 10 candidates, while distinguished individuals associated with the initiative were also recognised.

But the emotional climax remained the announcement of Chinecherem as the overall winner.

For the young Enugu aviation enthusiast, the tears that followed were not merely tears of victory. They captured the significance of an opportunity meeting a long-held dream.

And for the organisers of SASEYC 2.0, her story offered perhaps the clearest demonstration of the purpose behind the summit: to identify young talent early, provide exposure, connect ambition with opportunity and help prepare a new generation for the future of African aviation.