Glowing Wings Ladies
The Glowing Wings Chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI), has charged young girls to break and rise above the barriers of ‘male-dominated profession’ syndrome, such as in aviation profession to give them competitive edge in such sectors.
Speaking at the 2026 WAI Annual Girls in Aviation Day programme held at the Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja Cantonment in Lagos with the theme, “She Can Fly: Dream, Discover & Soar”, the professionals insisted they were ready and will go all our to encourage more girls to take up career in aviation.
Over 80 students from four secondary schools attended the program for career talks and interaction with female aviation professionals.
The President of WAI Glowing Wings Chapter, Mrs Evelyn Njoku, represented by the Vice President, Mrs Folashade Akande, said the programme was designed to expose girls to aviation at an early age and encourage them to consider careers in the sector.
She said aviation offered opportunities beyond piloting and cabin crew, including air traffic control, aircraft engineering, meteorology, aviation security, flight dispatch, airport management, aviation law, public affairs and safety investigation.
Mrs Njoku urged the students to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the industry, ask questions and build relationships with aviation professionals who could guide them in their careers..
The DGM, AIS Control Unit of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mrs Lilian Ezetendu, also exposed the students to the role of Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) in aviation safety.
She explained that AIS provides and distributes critical information used by pilots, air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals, including aeronautical charts, flight information and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs).
Ezetendu described AIS as the information backbone of aviation, noting that pilots depend on accurate and timely information on routes, runways, navigation facilities and other changes in the airspace before and during flight operations.
The CEO of Aviatrix Hub and US-certified flight dispatcher, Mrs Victoria Adegbe, shared her career journey with the students, urging them not to allow gender or perceived academic limitations to stop them from pursuing aviation careers.
Adegbe, who began her aviation career as a flight dispatcher, said she was among the early female flight dispatchers in Nigeria and later established an aviation training school.
She stressed that flight dispatchers play a critical role in flight operations by working with weather, aircraft performance, fuel requirements, routes and other operational information before an aircraft takes off.
The Aviatrix Hub CEO also encouraged the girls to take their education seriously, particularly in mathematics and science, while stressing that aviation accommodates professionals from virtually every discipline.
Similarly, cabin crew executive Mrs Irene Ejakita urged the students to see aviation as a sector where they could “dream, discover and soar,” recalling how she moved into aviation after studying accounting at the University of Benin.
She said increased exposure to aviation had helped more women move beyond traditional cabin crew roles into positions such as pilots and other technical and operational careers.
The Commandant of Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Garuba, represented by the school’s administrative officer, Captain James Olaniyan, said the sky was not reserved for a selected few.
He encouraged the girls to pursue their ambitions with determination, stressing that gender and background should not determine the height of their dreams.
The event also featured an aviation quiz competition among the participating schools.
Blooming Greens, Yaba, emerged first, followed by Murtala Mohammed Airport Secondary School, Ikeja; Command Day Secondary School, Ikeja; and Abiolu Comprehensive Secondary School, Igando.
The students also interacted with female professionals in aeronautical information services, flight dispatch, air traffic control and cabin crew operations as part of efforts to give them practical insight into careers in aviation.
