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Meet Kafayat Sanni, Nigeria’s First Female Fighter Pilot (Photos)
The name Kafayat Sanni may not ring a bell in the ears of many, but to the aviation world and to the Nigerian AirForce, she’s an asset to the force.
Kafayat was trained in the United States of America. She is the first that went through regular combat training at the Nigerian Defence Academy to be winged for a fixed-wing fighter aircraft.
She emerged the overall best pilot at the NAF 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna State, in 2017, and thereafter, she was moved to the United States of America to train at the US Aviation Leadership Programme.
As she grabbed the first female trophy in flying Alpha Jets and others, considering the task ahead, Kafayat said: “I was just lucky to be chosen. It was also my choice. It was what I wanted to do. And I felt that everyone is not supposed to fold their arms and watch what is happening in our country. Everyone could always play their part. So, I did not think there was any reason for me to think that it is not possible for me to actually fly the jet because there was no female that ever flew the jet. I believe I could achieve it and I did.
“It is a privilege for me to be winged as the first female fighter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force. My appreciation first goes to the Almighty God for making this possible for me. It also goes to the Chief of the Air Staff for giving me the opportunity and for making this possible. It will motivate me of course.”
Capt. Christy Martin, Columbus AFB international military student officer, said she’s excited to watch Sanni grow and thrive as the first female fighter pilot in Nigeria.
“I think she is going to perform that title well. Sanni has a very bubbly personality and is was very positive throughout the whole entire training,” Martin said.
“Pilot training is a very stressful, strenuous course, but she has always stayed positive. I think she is very determined and very excited to go back and fly fighters in her country as well,” she added.
Sanni’s feat comes barely a month after the Air Force had its first female Air Warrant Officer, Grace Garba who joined the Nigerian Air Force at age 20 as a member of the Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) 10 in 1986.
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