Nigeria's Pioneering Aircraft Engineer, Sunday Olubadewo's Legacy recognised

Sunday Kayode Olubadewo, a renowned aircraft maintenance engineer, has been recognised with a Distinguished Honourary Award as “Nigeria’s Foremost Aircraft Maintenance Engineer” at the 29th edition of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) annual conference.

Olubadewo’s career spans over half a century, with significant contributions to aircraft maintenance and aviation progress in Nigeria and West Africa. He was one of Nigeria’s first licensed aircraft engineers and played a key role in the development of the aviation industry.

Born on September 17, 1933, in Oro Ago, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State, Olubadewo trained both in Nigeria and overseas. He distinguished himself early in his career as one of Nigeria’s first licensed aircraft engineers and held a key technical role under the ICAO/UNDP programme.

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Olubadewo pioneered one of the first private airlines in Nigeria and founded several influential companies, including General & Aviation Services (GAS), Airline Management Support Limited, Aerospeed Oil Limited, and Starburst Aviation UK Limited. These companies have established a critical supply chain for aviation consumables in West and Central Africa.

At 92, Olubadewo remains a revered figure in the aviation industry, inspiring future generations of engineers and entrepreneurs. The Distinguished Honourary Award is a testament to his lifelong dedication and contributions to the industry.

The LAAC annual conference also honoured other champions in the industry, including Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development; Harold Demuren, former Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); and Allen Onyema, the Chairman/CEO Air Peace, among others.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.