He Dreamt Of Flying, Now He Rides Okada

There was a time when Abdullahi Abubakar looked up at the sky and saw his future. Today, the aspiring pilot rides an Okada in Birnin Kebbi, studies Computer Science and hopes for another chance to fly. In this report, KABIR WURMA tells the story of a dream grounded by financial hardship and a young man determined to fly again.

Across Nigeria, financial hardship is forcing many young people to abandon dreams they once worked hard to achieve. For young Abdullahi Abubakar, his dream was once as high as the skies he hoped to fly in.

With his eyes set on becoming a professional pilot, the 35-year-old from Birnin Kebbi had secured admission to an aviation college, received financial assistance from the Kebbi State Government, passed his examinations and proceeded to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in Lagos for further flight training.

But that dream was cut short when the funding that sustained his aviation training stopped.

Today, instead of sitting in a cockpit, Abubakar operates a commercial motorcycle in Birnin Kebbi to make a living. The young man who once imagined himself flying aircraft now combines Okada riding with his studies in Computer Science at the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), where he is currently a 300-level student.

His story is one of an interrupted dream and of a young man who has refused to abandon his ambition completely, despite the financial wall standing between him and the cockpit.

Born 35 years ago in the Nagari area of Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Abubakar said his ambition had always been to become a professional pilot. He attended Atiku Bagudo Modern Science Primary School and Abdullahi Fodio Secondary School, both in Birnin Kebbi.

After obtaining his WAEC certificate with three credits in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, he sat for a make-up examination and obtained five credits, which qualified him to apply to the aviation college of his choice.

In 2017, after applying online, he was admitted to the International Aviation College, Ilorin, Kwara State, to pursue a two-year National Diploma in Private Pilot Licence before proceeding to a Higher National Diploma in Commercial Pilot Licence.

According to him, a candidate needed about N12 million at the time to complete the two courses and be fully admitted as a boarding student. However, because of his poor financial background, he could not afford the cost.

It was at that point that the Kebbi State Government came to his assistance with N2 million, enabling him to commence his aviation training.

In the middle of his training, after he and other students sat for their examinations and he passed, Abubakar was sent to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in Lagos, where he underwent a one-year course for a Private Pilot Licence (PPL).

But as he approached the end of his flight training, which would have qualified him to obtain his National Diploma in Private Pilot Licence, his funding was cut off.

With no money to continue, he returned home to Birnin Kebbi. The return marked a painful turn in the life of a young man who had already invested years in pursuing his dream of flying.

Back in Birnin Kebbi, Abubakar said he began thinking about how he could survive. Together with his friends, he decided to post about his predicament on social media, hoping that the government or a well-to-do individual would see his situation and come to his rescue. But nothing happened.

Realising that he was still young and unwilling to remain idle, Abubakar decided to become an Okada operator to fend for himself rather than remain unemployed.

He revealed that the motorcycle business subsequently provided him with enough income to take another step in his educational journey.

With money from the Okada business, he bought a JAMB form, sat for the examination, obtained the required score and applied to study Computer Science at the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (FUBK).

He is currently a 300-level student at the university, but he has not abandoned his motorcycle business, which remains a source of livelihood.

Yet, despite taking up another course and finding a means of survival, Abubakar said his dream of becoming an aviator remains alive.

Asked whether he would return to pilot training if he received full sponsorship from the Kebbi State Government, a corporate organisation or a well-to-do individual, he replied:

“I can still go ahead to reapply in order to fulfil my dream. But returning to the skies now comes at a much higher cost.”

Abubakar said he would need between N45 million and N50 million to regain admission and complete the ND and HND courses in Private Pilot Licence and Commercial Pilot Licence, respectively, because of the current economic situation.

He explained that, at the time his funding was cut off, he needed only N1.8 million to complete the stage of training he had reached, after the Kebbi State Government had assisted him with N2 million.

He also recalled that while they were at the pilot training college in Ilorin, there were two students from Kebbi State, including Abubakar Usman Marafa from Zuru Local Government Area.

However, he said he could not ascertain whether Marafa was still at the college or had completed his course because of a communication gap between them.

For Abubakar, the gap between the cockpit he once hoped to occupy and the motorcycle he now rides is not an abandonment of ambition but a consequence of circumstances he said he could not overcome financially.

He is therefore calling on the Kebbi State Government and other well-to-do individuals to come to his rescue and help him return to aviation so that the dream he started pursuing years ago can become a reality.

“I can still go ahead to reapply in order to fulfil my dream,” he said.

When contacted, the Executive Secretary of the Kebbi State Scholarship Board said only the Commissioner for Higher Education could speak on the matter.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Alhaji Isah Abubakar Tunga, was initially unreachable by telephone but later confirmed that he had travelled abroad.