November 1, 2025 marked the first 100 years of civil aviation in Nigeria, and Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), did not take it lightly. The first Nigerian International Air-show, NIA, was organised in Abuja to mark the momentous celebration.
It was also an auspicious moment to honour the personalities who played leading roles in defining and shaping the industry, at an event tagged “40 Legends of Aviation”, on December 1, 2025, also in Abuja. These included top colonial and indigenous policy makers, entrepreneurs, regulators, pilots, engineers and others.
Notable among them were colonial era figures, Governor Hugh Clifford (1877-1947) and Sir Hubert Winifred. Others were: Chief Mbazulike Amaechi (1929-2022), Nigeria’s first indigenous Aviation Minister; airline owners, such as HRH Igwe Peter Ezenwa, Alhaji Muhammadu Adamu Dankabo, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Allen Onyema (CON), Dr Harold Demuren, among others.
Unknown to many, Maiduguri and later Kano were the cities in Nigeria where the first aircraft landed, on November 1, 1925. This consisted of three de Havilland DH.9A aircraft from the Royal Air Force’s 47 Squadron. Kano also received the honour of hosting the first airport in Nigeria due to its strategic position as the hub of trans-Saharan trade.
This led to the establishment of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, followed by the Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA), Abuja, were later to take the shine away because of their status as Federal Capitals.
During the colonial era, the Imperial Airways launched Nigeria’s first international flight in 1930, connecting London to Lagos via Kano. Later, in 1945, the West Africa Airways Corporation, WAAC, a joint venture between Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, was incorporated using Douglas DC-3 aircraft, but Ghana pulled out on getting her independence in 1957.
Nigeria launched her first indigenous flag carrier, Nigeria Airways on October 1, 1958. It initially prospered but had to be scrapped in 2003 as a result of over-staffing, nepotism and corruption. Nigeria joined the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, in 1962. Series of regulatory reforms later gave birth to agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA; Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA; and the Accidents Investigation Board, AIB.
Further reforms led to the complete shift of commercial operations to the private sector. Today, Nigeria boasts of 32 airports, many of which were established by state governments. Following a number of air disasters, aviation practice in Nigeria has been upgraded, and safety has greatly improved. More airlines are coming on stream.
However, the authorities must explore means of ensuring the reduction of the astronomical cost of domestic air travel. With growing insecurity, more Nigerians should be encouraged to travel by air. The drive to make Nigeria the epicentre of air travel in this part of Africa must continue.
What a memorable 100 years!
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