By Halimah Olamide
The Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has expressed joy over being flown by the first female pilot in the Nigerian Airforce, Capt. Blessing Liman
He made this known through his verified Instagram handle on Thursday.
“This afternoon, I had the pleasure of being flown by Captain Blessing Liman, who shattered the glass ceiling in 2011 making history as the first female pilot in the Nigerian Air Force.”
On conversing with Liman in her cockpit, Osinbajo said he was thrilled to know that she is now one of five female pilots in the Nigerian Air Force and one of two that flies he and the president, Muhammadu Buhari. She is also the first female captain in the Presidential Air-fleet.
Osinbajo stated that Liman and the four other female pilots are prominent examples of what is achievable when providing equal opportunities for women which relates to the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Gender Equality in Roles.”
According to him, “Women make up half of our population in Nigeria, but today discriminatory practices and old thinking mean that a significant percentage of half our population, possibly the smarter half(!) is not contributing as much as they can to our national prosperity. We can change that story. Happy International Women’s day.”
Blessing Liman was an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, she was enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force in July 2011 and was commissioned on 9 December, 2011.