•Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Captain Ruth Adeola Adebanwo and Governor Imo Eno
Akwa Ibom State kicks off its 39th anniversary with 39 projects lined up for commissioning including a brand new 160-seater Airbus
ANIETIE USEN Uyo reporting
She was the cynosure of all eyes.
As the 71 tonnes brand new Airbus A220-300 touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport,VAIA, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, September 1, 2026, the chief pilot, Captain Ruth Adeola Adebanwo, went instantly into Nigerian Aviation book of records as the first woman ever to fly a brand new aircraft into Nigeria.
The attention of the mammoth crowd at the MRO apron quickly shifted away from the top government dignitaries, including Governor Umo Eno and the Nigerian Senate President, Goodwill Akpabio, who had landed 10 minutes earlier, before the daring woman in the cockpit touched down, after 15 hours from Airbus Mirabel factory near Montreal in Canada.
The massive crowd in front of the MRO waiting for her to shut down the engine and step out of the cockpit into a heroic welcome, were growing impatient, as Captain Ruth lingered for some 10 or more minutes in the cockpit. They didn’t know that aircraft are not turned off like keke Napep or minibus. Captain Ruth was quietly and gracefully going through the checklist that must precede engine shutdown.
To buy time, colourfully dressed Akwa Ibom women stepped into the scene to dance, shake their waists and rejoice with Captain Ruth for making Nigerian women proud.
At last, Captain Ruth stepped out of the cockpit, walked down the gangway with her crew of five namely, Captain Tijjani Mohammed, Senior Flight Officer, SFO Akaninyene Bassey, SFO Idongesit Okono, Engr. Jacob Ogwu and Engr. Babajide Balogun.
The crowd went into a frenzy. It was akin to the reception given to the Artemis II crew, the historic lunar mission, that safely returned to earth in America on April 10, 2026.
But it was difficult to quickly spot who was Captain Ruth from a distance. Many in the crowd, even in the front row, strained and stretched, to catch a glimpse of the heroic Captain Ruth, but confused her with the airline ground staff, who escorted the crew to the VIP stand for handshakes with Senator Akpabio, Governor Eno and other top government officials.
Akwa Ibom State deputy governor, Senator Mrs Akon Eyakenyi couldn’t contain her joy that a yeoman job had been beautifully done by a woman. She danced and gave Captain Ruth countless comforting hugs.
Diminutive in size and elfin, Captain Ruth was most of the time lost in the crowd. Virtually everybody was taller than Captain Ruth. Behind the array of TV microphones to address the occasion, she was virtually invisible, except for her braided hairdo. A stark contrast with the massive aircraft she had flown 8,945 kilometres from Montreal, Canada to Uyo, Nigeria, Captain Ruth was without a scintilla of doubt the star of the moment. She shone like a thousand stars across the skyline.
And she was deservingly on the lips of everyone in the airport. There was no shortage of phrases deployed by dignitaries to describe her and her achievements. Queen of the skies. Small but mighty. Quality over quantity. Big things come in small packages. Greatness knows no size. Don’t judge a book by its cover. One woman was overheard screaming for joy: “No wonder Ibom air is successful…The Chief Pilot is a woman”.
The Senate President too was impressed. He called her ‘Amazing Ruth’, adding, ‘it’s not your size that flies aircraft, it’s your brain’. Yet, it was Governor Eno that captured the sentiments of the mammoth crowd in full.
“Today every girl child in this country should be proud, inspired and encouraged…You can break the glass ceiling. Yes, you can! And if anyone has placed a ceiling on you, today, as a pastor, I declare that ceiling broken in the Name of Jesus”. The ‘Amen’ would have been heard inside the cabin of another Ibom Air aircraft that was just landing!
But the Governor was not done yet. “Today Captain Ruth’s husband and her children and her parents would be very proud that she’s the first female pilot to fly into Nigeria a brand new Airbus A220-300.
“So, girls, don’t look down on yourself. Don’t let anybody intimidate you. If this A220-300 Airbus could not intimidate Captain Ruth, nobody can intimidate you. Captain Ruth, thank you so much. Please step forward and take a bow. You are the pride of the womenfolk”, the governor said.
The Airbus A220-300 which Captain Ruth flew into Uyo, September 1, 2026, was the fifth aircraft the Governor Eno Administration had purchased for Ibom Air in just three years of high-flying performance.
Not a surprise, the multiple award winning Governor, who is a pastor, lapsed into high praises and worship to God, ahead of written speech, which was not only tailored for the Airbus Water Canon ceremony but designed for the onset of the commissioning of 39 other major projects to mark the 39th Anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State.
“Thirty-nine years ago Akwa Ibom was not like this”, the Governor said. It was a strong sentence that evoked the emotions of those who were old enough to know and cast their minds back to September 23, 1987, when President Ibrahim Babangda created Akwa Ibom State, on the same day as Katsina State.
The truth is that Akwa Ibom at creation was actually a glorified village. But like Captain Ruth, who rose from a cabin crew, serving snacks to passengers to an Airline Chief Pilot, Akwa Ibom, through a generation of quality and visionary leadership, has risen from the back waters of Nigeria to become a model of good governance and visible infrastructural growth. Like the Asian Tigers, some writers rightly refer to the State as the Emerging Tiger of the South-South.
And like Akwa Ibom, Captain Ruth is indeed a success story. This Chief Pilot of Ibom Air possesses an extensive academic and technical background that spans two decades as licensed pilot of many aircraft-type including the Bombardier CRJ700/900/1000, Boeing 737-300/500, De Havilland DHC-8 (Q400), Cessna 441, and the Airbus A220-300.
She also has a strong background in specialised aviation safety and IT data management. A wife and mother of two boys, she is a graduate of the University of London, where she studied Air Safety Management, and the renowned 43 Air School in Port Alfred, South Africa, where she obtained her first commercial pilot licence.
In a profession,where women make up approximately 5% to 6% of all pilots globally, Captain Ruth is highly rated and was back in 2022 the winner of the Akwaaba African Travel Market Top 100 Women in Travel And Tourism in Africa.
But she began her aviation adventure at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, where she graduated with a Cabin Crew Certificate. That was after her Secondary School at Queens College, Lagos.
After qualifying as pilot in South Africa, she spent more than 15 years gaining rigorous flight experience across multiple domestic carriers in Nigeria, including Arik, Aero and Dana Air, moving up steadily from First Officer to Captain and now the chief pilot of Ibom Air. Today, she manages the airline’s entire cockpit crew, flight schedules, and operational safety metrics.
Apart from helping to oversee the entire fleet of Ibom Air which now stands at 10, Captain Ruth is also part of the Ibom Air team managing the State’s heavy investment in building local or overseas training for staff of Ibom Air in order to create a self-sustaining aviation ecosystem.
The airline currently employs 30 pilots (14 of whom are from Akwa Ibom) and 40 aircraft engineers (16 of whom are from Akwa Ibom). All of these locally sourced professionals were trained through State government sponsorship.
The state government is currently funding the training of an additional 20 airline staff: 10 students are undergoing training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria and 10 cadet pilots are undergoing training in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Beyond direct training, the expansion of Ibom Air and its supporting aviation ecosystem has generated an estimated 2,000 direct jobs, strengthening the local economy while ensuring local representation in the airline’s operations.
This is coupled with the recent approval of the Victor Attah International Airport, home of Ibom Air, as an international Airport, as well as the completion by Governor Eno of the world-class international wing of the Victor Attah International Airport, VAIA, described by Aviation experts and tourists as the best in Nigeria.
Said Senator Akpabio, Nigerian Senate President, yesterday, September 1, 2026, during the Water Canon Ceremony for the new Airbus: “I entered the new local and international terminal for the first time a week or so ago. It was in the night… I landed at about 9pm and then I went there. I didn’t leave that place until a quarter to twelve midnight. I was going from one section to the other, inside and outside. And I said to myself, ‘am I really in Akwa Ibom’ or am I somewhere in Europe? This is progress. This is a class act”.
Akpabio demanded that every Nigerian must applaud Akwa Ibom State Government for the new terminal of the Airport which was initiated by Governor Udom Emmanuel and recently completed by Governor Eno. “Every single one of you that appreciates the good work of this governor and also admires and prays for him, will also experience the help of God”, he said.
Beaming with smiles and confidence, Governor Eno spoke peripherally on just a few of the accomplishments of his Administration, described by Akwa Ibom people as the GOLDEN ERA of the State.
He pointed at the successful construction of 1,340 kilometers of roads and 41 bridges in three years; the introduction of 50 CNG buses and the construction of dedicated bus terminal with the goal of reducing the state transportation costs by 50%; the ongoing investment in the State aviation industry to establish the State as a regional tourism hub; the construction of the world-class conference facilities intended to facilitate large-scale international gatherings.
He could not afford to forget the construction of the amazingly beautiful Arise Palm Resort, a major family theme park described as a leading facility in Nigeria, scheduled for commissioning later this month by President Bola Tinubu.
On Social Welfare and Healthcare, the governor pointed at the registration of 226,000 citizens in the State’s health insurance scheme; updating of the State Social Register to streamline humanitarian services; the clearing of a long-standing backlog of 111 billion Naira in inherited gratuities (dating back to 2012), with over 90 billion Naira already paid.
And on something that is very close to his heart, the issue of good governance, unity, security and peaceful coexistence, Governor Eno emphasised the importance of unity, calling on leaders to reduce divisive rhetoric to maintain stability in the State.
He paid glowing tributes to President Tinubu, the Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo and particularly the founding fathers of the State for the ‘bold and visionary foundation’ that had culminated in the ‘emerging story of Akwa Ibom exceptionalism’.
Said the governor: “We are proud of the opportunity we have been given by Akwa Ibom people to deepen and expand the frontiers of this exceptionalism”.
It was a very fulfilling Day One of the commissioning of 39 projects to mark the 39th Anniversary of Akwa Ibom State.
As the Efik people would say: Nte mbuk akade iso, iyekop itiene”.
