CAPTAIN VICTOR EGONU: Over n Out
Words: Oyiza Adaba
Photos: Lilian Ajayi | Africa-Related
Lagos, Nigeria
1959-2022
In life, Captain Victor Obiora Egonu was quite vocal, his death and funeral has proved nothing different.
Love him or not, it was just a matter of understanding. Captain Victor Egonu’s straightforwardness worked as both a quality and flaw, opening many doors and slamming quite a few in his face. His front was brash, truthful sometimes bordering on rude, yet it usually came from a place of his genuine love for and seeming frustration in humanity.
What he lacked in his physical frame, he very well made up for with his unforgettable personality. His demand for excellence and notable quick temperament often stood out, but as with the ‘misunderstood’, much laid beneath the surface. Most would agree he lived up to the full meaning of Egonu - someone who does go by what others say.
As eloquently delivered by friends, colleagues and family gathered during his funeral on July 7, 2022, Egonu couldn't have been any more Nigerian, than he displayed in life and death.
He somewhat symbolizes a Nigeria of time-past, when ethnicity and religion played little-to-no roles. An Igbo man from a mixed British/Nigeria heritage, he traveled the world achieving many firsts with his love of flying including being the first to fly the Boeing triple 7 to Nigeria. Since graduating from the School of Aviation in Zaria in 1981 and becoming a captain in 1992, Egonu had mentored and shaped a generation of pilots.
"Zaria trained some of the best pilots in the world… go to Emirates, Saudi Air everywhere you will find a Nigerian pilot and they were all trained there way back. So, I am very proud of my Zaria.”
- Victor Egonu - Source
It was flying that took him to many places, including Jos. And in typical Victor fashion, he didn't move alone. His friends are multi-ethnic, race, creed, class etc, and without question everyone fits right in J-town.
He gave friends (myself included) our first flight cockpit experience, so it was no wonder his funeral felt like a flight tour around the world, backed by stories and experiences by those closest to him. Beside magnificent renditions of the Alleluia and Amazing Grace by the choir, the message behind his music playlist was not lost. Bob Marley’s ‘War’ and ‘Rally Round’ by Steel Pulse further drilled in more truths.
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Memorable accounts from Port Harcourt, Lagos, Peckham, Chicago, Abuja, London, Lusaka, Warri, Bristol and on. We laughed, cried, reminsed, and began to think… as he would have liked us to. Egonu always taught one to think, to stand and as our friend and brother Tonye Wilcox always said to 'do somethin'.
Pertinent questions like, 'What has happened to Nigeria? How can the melting-pot once known as Jos - where Dipo, Chijoke, Ali, Dotun etc converged with no political intentions or questions asked - now be divided across indigenous, religious and ethnic lines. What kind of country are we leaving for?
We were also forced to think about the state of Nigeria's aviation industry - one which undoubtedly would have achieved bigger milestones had Nigeria operated on meritocracy. As the aviation minister that he never was, Capt. Victor Egonu would have set and achieved high standards in making Nigeria compete with continental aviation giants Despite global challenges, he had great ideas for travel and tourism, having traveled the length and breadth of the 200-million populated country, as an avid biker.
"If you look at Kenya Airways, South African Airways, they are all doing well. Why can’t Nigeria have an airline that all of us can actually say ‘oh, we are proud of this airline’. Of course we used to have one in the past but that was back then.”
- Victor Egonu - (2015 Interview Source)
His biography reading took us through a list of defunct airlines, some long-forgotten. Name it, he had worked there during his nearly 30 years. from Okada, Kabo, ADC, Chachangi, IRS, Medview, Bellview etc. His last boss was the Chairman of Air Peace Chief Alllen Onyeama, admitted that they often clashed from the same frustrations borne from operating an airline in Nigeria. As Director of Flight Operations, he had relentlessly taken the airline to greater heights since joining in 2011.
Air Peace meanwhile, continues to come to Nigeria's aviation rescue, in the absence of a national carrier for decades. What started out as Nigeria Airways was established in 1958, and ceased operations in 2003. Since then, several unsuccessful attempts at rebranding has seen name changes from Virgin Nigeria Airways, Nigerian Eagle Airlines, Air Nigeria. According to Simple Flying, the much anticipated launch of Nigeria Air originally scheduled for April 2022 has been postponed by another year.
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Victor Egonu's death on June 9, 2022 came as a major loss, not just to the global aviation industry. In her glowing tribute, his wife Dayo Egonu spoke candidly about the anxieties of being a pilot's wife and celebrated her husband's great milestones and the unapologetic adroitness he brought to ensuring air travel safety. Standing alongside their surviving 12-year old son Tonye, reminded us that Victor Egonu was one of the best pilots Nigeria forgot to honour and thank.
‘Plane Cemetery’ at Lagos airport (Photos by Africa-Related)
Oyiza Adaba is a journalist & producer @africarelated