The spotlight was shined on three incredible sisters who are breaking barriers and soaring to new heights.
The three Makinde sisters who conquered the skies just by following the footsteps of their pilot father shared their story.on Channels Television’s Amazing Africans programme.
Lola, Seun and Funmi, thank you for agreeing to share your awe-inspiring story here on Channels Television. Being a pilot is no ordinary feat. According to data, we understand that women pilots are about just 10% globally all around the world. So, we are indeed delighted to speak with you but how does it feel?
Lola: It’s great, it’s an honour, it’s something I’ve always wanted to be. Piloting is a beautiful experience. I believe it’s still for them also, so it’s good when I hear we are amongst the 10% of women in the world piloting planes. It’s something I’m happy and proud about.
Seun: We grew up in Port Harcourt and due to Daddy’s job, we were kind of exposed to helicopters and airplanes early enough. We had an idea what it was, I think it’s when I tell people that my dad is a pilot and they will say: ‘Oh, really?’ I never saw it as anything serious before, not until recently. Well, I mean it’s a job, I didn’t stereotype any job, I didn’t think it was just a man’s job.
Funmi: You just get to stand out of the stereotype because when they say pilot everybody thinks of a man.
You three grew up in Port Harcourt. Walk us through what that experience was like growing up in the city. How did the environment shape your personality and who you are today?
Lola: Well, we’re not just the three, we’re seven girls, and out of seven three are pilots. All girls, no boy in the house, so it was a strict home because we were all girls, no boys. You know how you just have girls, you need to be this, you need to do that, don’t go out, you don’t have so much friends, we need to learn, we need to be cautious. We really didn’t have much friends so we had ourselves, the seven of us were friends to ourselves and till now we are best friends. I was born in Warri but moved to Lagos. Lagos was just two years and then Port Harcourt was the major part really growing up. So, I did my secondary school in Port Harcourt and then moved to the university in Anambra. My nursery and primary school in Warri, and then moving up to Lagos, I was in the Government College Ikorodu and then moving up to Port Harcourt I had Government Girls College Rumuokuta.
So, from there to Madonna University and from the university I moved on to flying school in Durban, South Africa; and then I got scholarship with Aero Contractors who sent me for my commercial in Port Alfred and then I worked like two years with Aero Contractors before we parted ways and then motherhood, marriage, everything came to play. And after that was Bristow. I’ve been with Bristow for almost like 13 years now.
Funmi: Port Harcourt is home, I still look at it as home because I was still a baby when we moved to Port Harcourt, so all my life was literally Port Harcourt. When I look at my sisters and myself, I always say one family, seven characters. You have the goofy, and the stern. You know we’re girls so we have different characters. I did my primary and secondary school here (Port Harcourt). Then my university was at Covenant University for my first degree. So, Port Harcourt is like home, the city of boli (smoked plantain) and fish.
What was the turning point?
Lola: The first time it hit me that I want to fly was when I saw a friend, Faith. She was 17 then. I learnt they now had a female pilot in Aero Contractors. It hit me like that my dad goes to work, he’s a pilot, but I’ve never heard a woman, like any female pilot. My mom noticed the twinkle in my eyes and you know that’s a normal thing with most moms and she was like you are interested in it and I’m like yes and I said but I don’t think I want to do the planes. I want to do the helicopters because I wanted to be first; I’ve not heard of any female helicopter pilot.
In all honesty, she (my mom) was like: are you sure because I think your dad’s job is very tedious? From there I spoke with Faith and told my dad. So, he listened to me and was like okay, you need to go to school first, let’s go to the university. So, I went to university, I did Computer Science in school and went to flying school.
Seun: I studied Petroleum Engineering at Covenant University and you know after school that’s when you’re trying to find yourself. I was supposed to go for NYSC and I was supposed to go for Masters and further my education. So, my dad wanted me to go to Canada but I wanted to go to UK. So, we had that back and forth, but in between I was looking for a job and I didn’t really think towards flying I don’t want people to think because my dad is flying and my sister is flying, I wanted to fly. So, I didn’t really think about it but whilst looking for a job, I stumbled on Bristow. They were interviewing people to train them and I said let me give it a try. So, that was the beginning. And at the time, I stayed with her (Lola) for a bit, so I knew what her routine was like. She was doing six weeks on and six weeks off. She was flying helicopters then. She was more of like a role model who told me I could have a family, work and still be home. That was what triggered my aviation growth.
Funmi: One day in the kitchen, I heard a plane passing and I ran out. I was fond of doing it every time, I would just stare at that iron bird in the sky and she would look at me and she’s like do you want to fly? And I was like my dad? She said no, the plane and I was like yeah. For the longest time I was telling people I want to be lawyer because I used to talk a lot but then it just changed. My dad was a helicopter pilot, planes were something that I so admired, I love the plane, I still look at the plane take off, I still look at the plane land. That was my trigger. My mom was my biggest support.
Seun: Dad was there to encourage us. He didn’t say: oh no, you cannot do it. He was willing to pay because I remember the first time I told him I no longer wanted to go for Masters; I want to go to flying school. He was excited and I’m like okay I think I got him. So, I mean he also played a big part in our journey.
Funmi: I always say that if you put a live show on our family, it’s going to have streams. We’re dramatic, like you know who to call when you want fight, you know who to call when you want calmness, you know who to call when you want godliness, you know who to call when you want to make a decision about fashion, when to spend your money you know who to call, when you want someone that will give you bad financial advice, oh yes there’s somebody in the house that would, so it’s beautiful.
When we were younger, we stole each other’s clothes. Sometimes you are sure that you don’t want to take a picture because you have stolen somebody’s clothes that you didn’t tell them. It was beautiful. I gave a lot of credit to my mom. She made us understand that family is important and we had the number, we’re seven so there was no other best friend than your sisters and it’s not like you have one so each of us has six best friends per person and different characters so you’re not bored with one person.
Captain Akinwale Makinde (their father): When Pope John Paul II came to Nigeria in the 90s, I flew him from Enugu to Orba. I was a co-pilot then and I was proud that I flew the Pope. They showed it live on CNN and I could see myself. I said this is the beginning of the beginning. I’ve flown so many VIPs in this country. I flew IBB, I flew Papa Obasanjo, as a president I flew him for seven years any time he was flying. Every weekend, he is a high traveller. Any time he is flying, my name is always number one on the list to fly him because of the experience. So, I flew him for seven years. I flew then Governor Goodluck Jonathan and I flew him as a president. The last head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, I flew him also.
Like every father, I’m happy they (my daughters) took my profession. After seeing them, I’m like see what I have done. I didn’t see it as a big deal and I make sure I trained them. In my house there’s no nothing like a boy’s job because I’m the only man in the house. Then we have this generator that you whine, all my children can whine it. If there’s no light, they just go there, and I will be like how did you do it? They will say they have been watching me doing it. So, that is how I treat them in the house; they are all equal, I never see them as girls.
