By Ghazali Ibrahim
A final-year student of Kwara State University has made history after successfully completing a solo flight at the Ilorin International Airport.
The student, Teslimat Abiola Nurudeen, a 500-level undergraduate in the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, achieved the feat on April 20, 2026, after piloting an aircraft independently in a 24-minute circuit around the airport.
Her solo flight followed months of intensive training, including ground school instruction, simulator sessions, and supervised flying exercises, regarded as key stages in aviation certification.
The milestone makes her the first undergraduate from the institution to accomplish such a feat, marking a significant moment in the university’s aviation and engineering programme.
Reacting, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, described the achievement as exceptional, commending the student for successfully balancing rigorous academic work with demanding flight training.
Faculty leaders, including the Dean of Engineering and head of department, also praised the accomplishment, describing it as a record-setting milestone that reflects the growing capacity of the institution to produce highly skilled graduates in specialised fields.
In aviation, a solo flight is considered a defining moment in a pilot’s training, signifying the ability to operate an aircraft independently with competence and safety awareness.
The achievement has been widely celebrated as a boost for aviation education in Nigeria and an inspiration for more young people, particularly women, to pursue careers in the field.
