Femi Adesina: At 4, my son said he wanted to be a pilot, his dream came through when he was 21

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, has shared the experience of his son, Oluwatobi, who became a pilot at the age of 21.

On Monday, Adesina flew in a plane co-piloted by his son, an experience he posted on his Facebook page and later recounted in a detailed article.

The proud father said Oluwatobi had nurtured the dream of becoming a pilot since he was four years old and that he did all within his power to support him.

“Tobi (as we call him) began to live his dreams. He needed to see only the picture of an aeroplane in a newspaper or magazine, and he would cut it, file it away, or paste on the wall of his bedroom. When he was old enough to manipulate a computer, he always went to sites where he could read about aircraft,” Adesina wrote.

“I had thought he would outgrow the passion but the older he grew, the firmer and clearer the dream became.”

He narrated the financial burden his family bore, while Tobi went to Aviation school in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“Never underestimate the power of dreams. At 18, my son packed his baggage, and was on the way to Aeronav Academy, in South Africa,” he wrote.

“The fees were staggering, but by then, I was deputy managing director/ deputy editor-in-chief of The Sun Newspapers. The pay was good enough, and with some belt tightening and lots of sacrifices, I could afford the fees.

“Tobi got to Johannesburg at the peak of winter. ‘A cold coming we had of it, just the worst time of the year. I remember the first email he sent to me: “Daddy, it’s so cold, I had to sleep with my shoes on.’ Lol. My heart went out to him, but he that would eat honey from the rock must never consider the blade of his axe.

“By the end of his first year, he got the private pilot licence. Second year, he got the commercial license.

“I was breathing like a hog under the financial burden, but didn’t Jesus promise that his yoke was easy, ‘and my burden is light?’ I kept trudging on, and one day, at age 21, my son was back, a fully licensed pilot.”

According to him, for about two years, he was never flown by his son until the ‘D-day’, when Tobi called him to the cockpit said to him, “Daddy, come and see what you paid for. Come and see where your money went.”

“For almost two years, the young pilot has been plying his trade, but he never flew me. The closest we got was one Saturday morning, about a year ago,” he said.

“Then D-day came. And it was Monday this week. I had gone to Lagos to be part of Fathers Day celebration in my church, Foursquare Gospel Church, which held on Sunday. Return journey was 7 a.m Monday, aboard Arik.
“On Sunday night, Tobi told me: “Daddy, you’ll be on my flight back to Abuja tomorrow.” Great expectations.
Adesina said he was aboard the same plane with Peter Obi, former governor of Abia state and Godwin Emefiele, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), discussing the economy of the country, when he was called by his son to join him in the cockpit.

“That was when Tobi struck. He came out from the cockpit, and said the Captain had consented that I should be their guest throughout the flight.

“I first declined. Flying in the air was tough enough, who wants to go and frighten himself to death in a cockpit?

“As the journey progressed, memories flooded in. The plane was moving forward, but I was going back in time. I remembered that June 25, when unto me a child was born, and unto the Adesinas a son was given. When I got to the hospital, and he was brought out for me to have a look, I remember the yell he gave. Now, the tot of that day is flying a Boeing 737. What will he fly next, a 747 or Dreamliner? The wonders of our God.

“Soon, the plane swung right. And Tobi pointed the runway of the Abuja airport to me. We had begun to descend earlier, and would land in eight minutes. At the dot of that time, he brought the big bird gently onto the runway. What an experience for a father!

“Since that Monday, when I posted the pictures of father and son on Facebook, the thanksgiving on our behalf has been overwhelming. I thank everyone who commented and prayed for us. May your day of joy not be postponed. Amen.

“This is my story, this is my song. May every father have cause to rejoice in his son. And on the day of that joy, may the fathers not have toothache.”