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United by love for the sky: The story of three pilot sisters

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The story of the Makinde sisters is one that any motivational speaker would love to use to motivate the girl-child. In a society where the male child is most times, if not always expected to take after the father, the Makinde pilot sisters, Mopelola, Oluwaseun and Oluwafunmilayo have shown that the girls no pushovers.

The three sisters are not only bonded by the love of flying, which they took after their dad, they are also keen sportswomen and are billed to participate in the 2022 Lagos Women Run on November 12.

This year, the 10 km road race “will be going on a loop starting from TBS, towards Awolowo Road, Falomo Bridge through Olusola down and finishing at Onikan,” according to Tayo Popoola, the coordinator of the event. “We are expecting about 25,000 runners in the categories of the elites and the fun runners,’’ she said.

The event, which has a one-million-naira prize money for the winner, transcends sports. The organisers say it provides a platform for the advancement of women in society, and describe it as one of its kind among global races. Support from the Lagos State government underlines the significance of the race.

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The participation of the Makinde pilot sisters, Mopelola, Oluwaseun and Oluwafunmilayo, is good for the women’s cause. As female pilots, they will be helping to send a strong message to encourage women, and especially girls, who continue to face challenges related to negative gender stereotypes in a male-dominated environment.

”As much as I want people to learn from me, that’s me pouring out. I also want to learn from others… I am looking forward to meeting other women in other sectors to also learn from them,” Oluwafunmilayo Makinde-Marcus, a corporate pilot, said. Other women whose careers can inspire womenfolk are expected to enrich the event. Perhaps the beauty of this unique road race is its power to empower females by inspiring them to soar above gender-based limitations created by the male-controlled society.

Female pilots are still rare, especially in Africa. In 2021, only six percent of pilots globally were women, according to the Ninety Nines International Organisation of Women Pilots, the oldest group of women pilots with about 6,000 members from 44 countries worldwide.

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This shows why the pilot sisters are special. Oluwafunmilayo, in particular, is different. She is a fixed-wing pilot. Her father and two sisters are helicopter pilots. She is the youngest of her parents’ seven children who are all females.

“I would run out of the house when I heard the sound of a plane… it was so beautiful to behold,” she said in an interview. That’s how the dream started, “to be a pilot of planes specifically.” Her biggest inspiration was her mother who “encouraged me not to give up on my dream despite the odds.”

After earning a first degree in Computer Science at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, she had a stint in the Fin Tech/ Technology sector before deciding on a career switch. She was relatively comfortable, she said, and many people who knew her were surprised, partly because she chose to move to the aviation sector. ”But a dream is a dream, and passion is passion,” she stressed. She went to flying school, and became a pilot.

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Factors that contributed to her success include parental support, education, passion, determination, courage, and self-belief. This may well be true of her two sisters who are also pilots. Their stories are inspirational, and teach positive lessons.

The importance of education in the mix needs to be emphasised. On the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, the United Nations notably observed that “Girls around the world continue to face unprecedented challenges to their education.” The situation is grave in Nigeria, which is said to account for more than one in five out-of-school children anywhere in the world.

The international body advocates engagement with government officials, policymakers and stakeholders ”to make more targeted investments that tackle inequalities experienced by girls.” It also calls for engagement with “key female influencers across industries to be the face of change we want girls to see as possible.”

The three pilot sisters can be seen as positive role models. It is commendable that they are playing a noteworthy role in advancing the women’s cause in Nigeria.

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Education

Oduduwa polytechnic denies extortion story

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The management of Oduduwa Polytechnic, Lagos, has denied media report that a lecturer in the institution was  extorting a female student and withhold her results.

 

According to the report, the student, one Jesulayomi Adedini, allegedly accused a lecturer of the institution, whose name was given as Ogunjana Adeolu of extortion and deliberate attempt to frustrate her graduation from school.

But the school, in a statement, copy of which was sent to The Post, stated: “The attention of the Management of the Oduduwa Polytechnic, Lagos has been drawn to a story published in The Punch of today titled: ‘Osun poly student accuses lecturer of extortion, withholding result.

“Contrary to what was published in The Punch, we wish to state that our institution, Oduduwa Polytechnic had nothing to do with the said story.

“We don’t have any record of both the staff and the student in our database.

 

“We, therefore, implore the members of the public to disregard the said story as it had nothing to do with our institution.”

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Shedding more light on the report, the management of the Oduduwa Polytechnic said, “We believe there is a mix-up somewhere. Our institution, Oduduwa Polytechnic, is located in  Lagos, not in Ife, Osun state, as claimed in the report by The Punch.
“It is surprising that while the report claimed the school involved in the alleged extortion story is in Ife, Osun state, but the photo used in the said story is that of our school, Oduduwa Polytechnic that is located in Lagos.”

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Education

Tinubu signs amended student loan bill into law

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President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the National Students Loan Amendment bill into law.

 

The President signed the bill in a short ceremony at the State House in the presence of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Minister and Minister of State for Education, Hannatu Musawa, the Minister of State for Youth, Ayodele Olawande, the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, other government officials and aides to the president.

 

Tinubu initially signed the student loan bill into law back in June 2023, to offer financial assistance to Nigerian students in tertiary institutions.

 

While the bill was signed earlier, its implementation has faced delays due to various issues hindering its rollout.

 

Speaking afterwards, the president said, “ First of all, I must thank members of the National Assembly for their expeditious handling of this bill considering the children of Nigeria, that education is the tool to fight against poverty effectively.”

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“We are determined to ensure that education is given the proper attention necessary for the country including skills development programmes. This is to ensure that no one, no matter how poor their background is, is excluded from quality education and opportunity to build their future.”

 

“We are here because we are all educated and were helped. In the past, we have seen a lot of our children drop out of college and give up the opportunity. That is no more, the standard and the control is there for you to apply no matter who you are as long as you are a Nigerian citizen.”

 

This development came after separate considerations from the two chambers of the National Assembly committees on tertiary institutions and TETFund.

 

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Education

Mohbad: Family faults wife’s petition against Primeboy

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The family of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has faulted a petition said to have been filed by the deceased’s widow, Omowunmi, against Ibrahim Owodunni, also known as Primeboy.

Primeboy, a close ally of Mohbad, was interrogated during a scheduled visit to the State Criminal Investigation Department on Tuesday, alongside Ayobami Fisayo, aka Spending.

The duo had been instructed to visit the police facility every week since the commencement of the investigation into the circumstances leading to Mohbad’s death.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, however, confirmed that the Afro singer was delayed and questioned during Tuesday’s visit over alleged defamation of character and other allegations cited in a petition filed by Wunmi.

 

Although the singer was released on Tuesday night, he returned to the SCID on Wednesday as police continued their probe of the allegations.

However, the family, in a statement signed by the head of its legal team, Monisola Odumosu, on Wednesday, alleged that the petition bordered on scaring potential witnesses in the unfolding investigative enquiry at the Coroner’s Court.

Mohbad’s family also noted that Primeboy was released from the SCID following the intervention of its legal team.

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The statement read, “It has come to our notice that Wunmi Cynthia Aloba has petitioned the police alleging that Primeboy and four other persons were cyber-bullying and threats to her life and her son Liam Aloba, amongst other allegations.

“As a result, the police detained Primeboy at their Panti office in Lagos and released him on Tuesday evening at about 8.00 pm local time. The legal team was led by Emmanuel Oroko Esq. Primeboy and Spending were at Panti Police Station earlier in the morning of (12/03/2024) to fulfil part of the conditions of their administrative bail which is that they must report to the homicide section of Panti police station every week.

“We are of the strong opinion that the police can only help to get justice in the matter relating to who killed Ilerioluwa Aloba (Mohbad) by vetting spurious petitions that border on scaring potential witnesses in the unfolding investigative enquiry at the Coroner’s Court. The police have shown professionalism and integrity by releasing Primeboy on bail and allowing our legal team access to the petition. Also, Primeboy was told to come back on Wednesday.”

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Odumosu explained further that it was not easy for the duo since they were listed as witnesses for the inquest.

“May we mention that since we listed Spending and Primeboy as witnesses for the inquest at the Coroner Court, it has not been easy for the duo. We have evidence of a sporadic call from a person sympathetic to Wunmi Aloba, and we queried why the person had to call and truncate the call when Primeboy had not picked up the call. Immediately the person switched off his phone and has not called back since then. Barely a week after, Primeboy has been petitioned against and detained.

 

“The petitions against the duo of Spending and Primeboy will not scare them away as witnesses at the next sitting of the Coroner Court. We shall do all within the law not just to protect them but also protect their mental health,” the statement added.

 

During its probe, the police declared Primeboy wanted on October 4, 2023, after which he turned himself in two days later.

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Meanwhile, Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, had filed an application in January at the coroner court sitting in the Ikorodu area of the state, seeking to call more witnesses in the bid to unravel the cause of his son’s death.

The witnesses requested to testify before the court include Primeboy, Spending and Boluwatife Adeyemo aka Darosha; all of whom were alleged to have been with the deceased at the material time.

Mohbad died on September 12 at the age of 27, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.

Being a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label in February 2022.

The state police command had on September 18, 2023, inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the death.

His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley, and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.

The body of Mohbad was on September 21, 2023, exhumed for autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.

 

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