The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has urged students to explore the career opportunities in the industry beyond piloting and cabin crew services.

The call was made at the grand finale of the second phase of its Wings of Tomorrow Leadership and Mentorship Programme for the Southwest in Lagos.

The programme, which targeted students in public secondary schools, was designed to expose young people to the wide range of professional opportunities in aviation and encourage them to consider careers in the sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, his Special Adviser on Service Delivery, Mrs Janet Oputa, said the sustainability of the industry depended on developing a pipeline of skilled professionals.

She said Nigeria’s expanding airports, growing airlines, modernising airspace and emerging aerospace technologies would increase the demand for qualified personnel.

According to her, the Federal Government’s vision of building a safe, competitive and globally respected aviation industry requires a new generation of competent, disciplined and visionary professionals.

Oputa described the Wings of Tomorrow initiative as a strategic national programme designed to provide young people with awareness, exposure and mentorship on career opportunities in aviation.

She urged the students to engage actively, ask questions, seek mentorship and pursue excellence in their chosen fields.

“There is a place for every talent and discipline in the sector, from engineering and science to law, finance, technology and management,” she said.

Earlier, the Director of Corporate Services, NCAA, Dr Rebecca Eyiuche Aghadinazu, said the programme was conceived to introduce students to career opportunities beyond the familiar roles of pilots and cabin crew members.

Aghadinazu, who described the initiative as her brainchild, said aviation offered more than 100 career paths that many young Nigerians were unaware of.

“When you mention aviation to our children, they only pick up two things — pilot and cabin crew. But aviation is a massive ecosystem of over a hundred careers,” she said.

She explained that the programme deliberately targeted public and government-owned secondary schools to help address inequalities in access to career information and opportunities.

“If Nigeria must become an aviation hub in Africa, we must catch them young,” she said.

Aghadinazu disclosed that the first phase of the programme had been concluded in the North-Central region, with Abuja as the host location.

Representing the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Chris Ona Najomo, the Lagos Regional Manager, Mrs Olubukola Aduragbemi Teriba, reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to aviation awareness, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, mentorship and workforce development.

Teriba said the programme connected the experience of established aviation professionals with the aspirations of young people preparing to enter the industry.

She urged the students to dream, prepare themselves through knowledge, discipline and integrity, and seize opportunities when they arise.

Also speaking, an Associate Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Lagos, Dr Stella Chinwe Anyama, said students did not have to become pilots or engineers to build fulfilling careers in aviation.

She explained that the industry relied on the collaboration of professionals in different fields, including meteorology, passenger services, fashion and uniform production, among others.

Anyama noted that pilots depended on meteorologists for weather information, while cabin crew members required interpersonal and emergency-response skills to ensure passenger safety and comfort.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vonzota Gold Ltd, Professor Omenihu C. Nwaorgu, whose company serves as a consultant and implementing partner for the programme, said aviation offered career opportunities to people from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.

He recounted an incident involving a passenger who reportedly fainted aboard a flight and was revived by aviation medical personnel before being taken to hospital upon arrival.

The experience, he said, illustrated the importance of healthcare professionals and other specialists in the aviation ecosystem.

Nwaorgu commended Keyamo, Najomo and Aghadinazu for supporting the initiative. He also acknowledged the contributions of school administrators and teachers who coordinated the participation of students.

Participating schools included Mende Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Maryland; Immaculate Heart Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Maryland; and Ojota Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Lagos.

The event also featured an essay competition titled Beyond Pilots and Planes: The Hidden Careers That Keep the Sky Moving and Safe, which was organised for junior and senior secondary school students from the participating schools.

In the senior secondary school category, Miss Bakare Titilope of Immaculate Heart Senior Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland, emerged first, while Adejumo Moyimoluwa, also of the school, came third.

The programme ended with the recognition of outstanding participants in the competition, highlighting the NCAA’s efforts to promote early career awareness and mentorship among young Nigerians.