I developed passion for flying at 6 – Capt. Madugu

Flying, they say, is all about passion. Most pilots and aviators around the world find themselves flying in pursuit of a burning desire difficult to stop, despite the challenges in enrolling in flying schools. It was this passion that drove Mohammed Sani Sani Madugu to choose to become a pilot. S.S Madugu (as he is […]

Flying, they say, is all about passion. Most pilots and aviators around the world find themselves flying in pursuit of a burning desire difficult to stop, despite the challenges in enrolling in flying schools.

It was this passion that drove Mohammed Sani Sani Madugu to choose to become a pilot. S.S Madugu (as he is known) is probably one of the youngest pilots in the  Nigerian aviation landscape. He qualified as a commercial pilot after almost three years of rigorous training in America and England.

Born on September 21, 1996 in Lagos State, the Kano indigene and son of a Senior Customs Officer, Alhaji Sani Madugu, is enthusiastic about going into the aviation world having completed his aviation training and secured a job with Azman Airline, an indigenous airline with operational base in Kano.

During an encounter with Daily Trust on Saturday, he said his passion for flying started at six or seven when he had the opportunity of looking at an aircraft  cockpit.

“It all started a very long time ago. When I was between six and seven years, we were flying to Kano for Sallah, as we usually do every Sallah. We got to Kano and my father took me to the cockpit of the aircraft. I think he knew the pilot or something and I was amazed seeing the cockpit, that is all I can remember. But that day, going into the cockpit really blew my mind.

“As I was there, I took a look at everything, I imagined how one could learn everything, all the buttons so on. After that encounter, maybe once in a year, I had the opportunity to look at the cockpit again and again. From that time my love for planes started growing. I could see planes take off everyday, even here in FESTAC then, and that encouraged me to go into the aviation industry. As I grew older, it just occurred to me that it is the perfect lifestyle for me,” he said.

The young Madugu attended Corona School in Apapa, Lagos, Laurel International School at FESTAC Town, Lagos and the Nigerian Turkish International College before going abroad for pilot training.

He said: “When I graduated from NTIC in 2013, I got admission to Brunel University in London to study Aviation Engineering with Pilot Study. I went there in September. I was flying and at the same time I was reading for my degree. So I did that for a year. The flying aspect was very slow because of the weather, the weather was really bad over there. So it was kind of hard to get so much progress. It took me a while to get my first license (The Private Pilot License) because I was only flying once a week. I got that at the age of 17 and after that, I realized that…I was doing the degree but wasn’t really into it. I was into my flying. I was putting so much effort into my flying.

“Though, I also put effort into my studies, I was just doing it for doing sake because my father told me that I just had to get a degree. Eventually, I got my transcript and withdrew from school after completing the first year. I was in Florida, USA and  also went to Phoenix East Aviation which is very recognized worldwide. Any pilot knows it all over the world”.

Within two years and seven months, he was able to complete his training, including the CPL which enables him to carry passengers. This he completed on February 10, 2016. While studying in America and London, he had the opportunity of flying the Cessna 152, C152; Cessna 172; Diamond DA42, a multi-engine aircraft.

“Right now I am rated to fly the Boeing 737-300, 400, 500 and also the 700, 800 and 900. I am rated to fly basically almost all the B737s”, he said.

He enjoys encouragement and support not only from his parents but the entire members of the family.

 “My parents have always been very supportive in anything I like to do. Right from day one, they always encouraged me and told me I needed to work hard in school if I wanted to be a pilot. I knew what I was signing up for, right from day one they told me I needed to get my priorities right. They always encouraged me, and supported me. During my training, it was not easy. Obviously I had ups and downs and whenever I was down, they were always there to talk to me and encourage me,” he said.

If he were not a pilot, he said he would have been an architect, given his passion for any field which requires deep thinking and much effort.

His mother, Mrs. Rakiya Sani Madugu, said after realizing that her son had an unquenchable passion for flying, they had to encourage and support him.

“First, I thank Almighty Allah for making his dream come true because right from when he was a child, his dream was to be a pilot, even his toys were aeroplanes. If he took a paper, he would try to make it into an aeroplane. You know children normally play with kites. Other boys were after playing football, he never went into that. His own was just to fly aeroplane. So I would say I am really thankful to Almighty Allah and I am so happy for him,” he said.

“There was a time he saw a book about piloting, one very big book, he was in JSS2, he said I should get him the book. I said, ‘this book is too big for you’, he insisted that I should get it for him. I looked everywhere, I couldn’t get it. Eventually, I had to contact one book vendor who ordered for it from France. Up till now he refers to that book. So, we tried as much as possible to encourage him.

“You know any parent would find it scary thinking of their son or daughter flying. At first, I said, ‘please, won’t you do any other thing?’ I think he was just nine-years old then. You know what he told me? He said if I was scared of him dying, he could die even on his bed. So for a child to tell you that, obviously he just liked to do it. I have no regret about the choice he has made and I am very happy with him. Everything went very smoothly”.