After several years in the doldrums, the Nigerian
College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, has sprung back to
life following renewed government attention. The measure has ensured
the return of many instructors who impart skills in student-pilots,
thereby reducing the shortage of pilots and engineers in the
aviation industry.
Among the trainees in the male-dominated industry are two females,
Hassana and Hussaina Edili, 20-year-old twins, whose striking
semblance makes differentiation difficult. Like the Wright brothers
who invented the first commercial aircraft in 1903, the two sisters
seem poised for the history books as the first set of twins to fly
the Nigerian skies. According to Hassana, the duo will soon complete
their course which will give them both the Private Pilot Licence and
Commercial Pilot Licence.
Many people had feared that the women would abandon the programme
after a crash landing early in their training near Zaria on October
10, 2006. Hassana, who describes the incident as “frightening,”
recalls what happened. “Both of us, another student and the
instructor were in the air when a technical problem suddenly
occurred. The pilot was able to manage it and though the aircraft
was damaged, we were able to come out unhurt. It was an experience
that signalled a challenge, but it was not enough to discourage
us,’’ she says.
For her sister, Hussaina, the experience was “really scary” but the
determination to become pilots helped them to quickly put it behind.
“To cope thereafter was initially scary, but with determination we
got over it,” she says. The twins say that fears of air crashes are
unnecessary as deaths occur on the roads and even in the home. “I
think it is just a phobia; just the fear of being in the sky. Such
fears are unfounded. Flying is the safest thing to do,’’ Hussaina
says.
She wants more women pilots to be encouraged so that they can make
an impact in the predominantly male endeavour. “We must create a
good name for Nigeria, both here and abroad in the area of
piloting,” Hussaina says.
The twins, who are the only children of their parents, say their
interest in flying stems partly from the environment in which they
grew up. “Our dad is an Air Force officer,” Hassana says, but
explains that he did not impose flying on them. Incidentally, Capt.
Chinyere Kalu, Nigeria’s first female pilot, heads the flying school
at the NCAT. Kalu says the nation needs more females because they
are more patient and stable.
“When we train more female pilots, we will lessen the shortage of
skilled manpower in the sector.’’ Kalu, who graduated from NCAT in
1980, says the adventure to travel across the world brought her into
the industry from a clerical job at the Nigerian Medical Council.
“In the last 30 years, the college has been able to produce only 10
female pilots and it is time for more females to join the team,’’
she says.
The Federal Government shares Kalu’s dream as the aviation
authorities have started a deliberate move of getting more female
pilots and engineers. A senior aviation official, who prefers
anonymity, says female professionals are “strongly considered” in
saving the industry as many of their male counterparts are eager to
leave the country. “The male pilot is more likely to leave the
country in search of better working conditions,’’ he says.
Dr Harold Demuren, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority, agrees. “We are trying to concentrate on our
female pilots and engineers because we have found out that they stay
to serve,’’ he said recently. Demuren said that experience in the
industry had shown that many male pilots and engineers, after being
trained by Nigeria, were always ‘poached’ by foreign countries with
enhanced welfare packages.
“We have come out with a Marshal plan to make sure we have adequate
training going on but the sad thing is that even when you train
them, they do not stay,” he said. Regions which attract Nigerian
pilots include the Middle East, China, South-East Asia and India.
Demuren spoke further: “You know men are like rolling stones; we go
all around unlike the females. When they are here, they get married
and stay to look after their families,” he said.
He said the government had been going for the females in the
universities. “What we are doing is to get good ones and train them
and get them into the aviation industry.”
In the meantime, the NCAT says it is striving to turn out quality
pilots, using its fleet of 24 aircraft. Kalu, however, says that the
college needs improved funding and modern equipment to attract and
keep good instructors. “More competitive wages will keep our
instructors from being poached by countries or organisations with
better conditions,” she says.
Luckily for the NCAT, the government says it is set to fund it to
attain its optimal efficiency. Mr Felix Hyat, the Minister of State
for Transportation (Air Transport), who visited the school recently,
said the government was “very much aware” of the challenges.
“Government is poised to make NCAT more efficient. The laws
concerning the school are being reviewed to position it as a
forefront training school on the African continent. The institution
will soon start a new journey toward deepening not only the female
component of pilots in the country, but also giving more hope in an
industry battling with scarce professionals,’’ he says.
With the NCAT roaring back to life and the government committed to
checking manpower shortage in the aviation industry, pundits say
these measures could not have come at a better time. They want more
female pilots in the skies as they argue that women show contentment
and a deeper commitment to local service.
(NANFeatures)
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