Twenty-year-old
Favour Nnaemeka Odozor was penultimate Saturday in South Africa,
awarded license as a commercial pilot, making him the youngest in South
Africa and Nigeria commercial pilot.
He talks about his journey to becoming a pilot and what he has planned next;
Q: How do you feel being the youngest commercial pilot in Nigeria and South Africa?
Favour
Odozor: It is not a feeling out of the ordinary; it was that of a
childhood dream of being a commercial pilot which finally came through
and at the age of 20. That I was able to achieve this in countries
advanced in aviation like Nigeria and South Africa, is equally
rewarding. But I know there are many younger ones out there who do have
the wherewithal to achieve this even while younger than I am now.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I
am, was born in Umuoma Amucha in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo
State by Mr and Mrs Odozor. I attended Adimery nursery/primary Oguta,
Imo state. I had my secondary education in Lagos and Enugu before
proceeding to Caritas University, Enugu State where I enrolled for
Computer Science and Information Technology. I deferred this in my
second year to go to South Africa’s prestigious Afrika Union Aviation
Academy to undergo training as a commercial pilot. This I have completed
within a good time and currently licensed on a multi engine airplane
with instrument rating.
Q: What were your aspirations growing up?
I’d
always desired to become a pilot right from childhood. I remember
always running out of the building just to catch a glimpse of an
airplane on hearing its cruising sound possibly at 36 – 38 thousand feet
overhead. It usually depressed me the moment it disappears. Then my
mother would calm me down by saying ‘don’t worry one day God will make
this a reality but focus on your studies for now in order to obtain
brilliant results if you would like to be a pilot’. That motivated me a
lot that I made sciences my bread and butter while at school just to
achieve this dream.
Q: Could you explain what it felt like for you when you were awarded the license?
I
felt very good when being awarded this license. I pursed it vigorously
and competed with many other students from all over the world with some
dropping from the school halfway into the training. Also the presence of
Nigerian dignitaries at the graduation was very heartwarming. I’ve
never been so proud, as a Nigerian achieving what I had. I felt honoured
by their presence, meeting and sharing photos with them. They are very
humble as against what you would read in the newspapers about them. Yet I
felt very accomplished but then also realized that there is even more
to do from here onwards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcD4KPTPE2w
