From riding ‘Okada’ to flying planes: The Remarkable rise of Captain Callistus Ifeanyi

In an industry often perceived as the exclusive area of the elite, Captain Callistus Ifeanyi—widely known as “Captain Update”—stands as a living testament to the transformative power of grit and grace. His journey from the rugged streets of Nigeria, where he once rode an “Okada” (motorcycle taxi) to fund his university education, to the flight deck of Air Peace, is more than just a personal triumph; it is an inspiration.

In this interview with IFEOMA OKEKE-KORIEOCHA, after ‘FIRESIDE CHAT WITH AFRICAN AVIATORS 2.0’, convened by Chidozie Uzoezie, the founder of the African Aviation Group, and sponsored by Embraer, the captain fondly called the ‘Pidgin Pilot’ reveals how a chance encounter with Air Peace Chairman Allen Onyema turned a dream he never dared to have into a soaring reality.

Beyond the glamour at the cockpit, Captain Callistus has carved out a unique “signature” in the Nigerian skies, using the relatable cadence of Pidgin English to soothe the nerves of anxious passengers and humanize the flight experience.

I want you to just talk a little bit about your journey. How did you develop the initial passion of wanting to fly?

Like my story always goes, I have never seen an aircraft before. I have never been to an airport before. This opportunity called. But when I was growing up, I always had that mindset that if a human being can do it, I can do it.

So when the opportunity called, Allen Onyema, the Air Peace chairman asked me that question, ‘would you like to be a pilot?’ First of all, I was surprised. ‘A pilot?’ I remembered him saying, ‘I’m talking about pilot flying an aeroplane.’ I have never thought of me entering an aircraft before, not to talk of flying one. I just finished school, I was just interested in getting a job. But I told myself that if any human being can do it, then I can do it. That was the answer I gave him. If human beings are doing it, I can do it.
That was how it started. I now developed the interest while I was on the journey.

I would like you to share your inspiring story of how you moved from petty trade and even rode ‘okada’ at some point, to now becoming an airline pilot? 

I fly for Air Peace Airlines. Becoming a pilot is a very capital-intensive venture, but I was privileged to be among those that were sponsored. I got a sponsorship through our Chairman and CEO , Allen Onyema. So, I give him kudos on that and I appreciate this any day, any time.

My parents were not financially buoyant but made sure i did not give up on my  dreams. I didn’t have expensive possessions or enough food while growing up.

At some point, I had to save some money to buy my first motor cycle to start Okada riding business. I knew I did not come from a rich family, so I worked hard  just to survive. The money I made from Okada riding helped with pocket money in school. I also did other small businesses.

During my university days, I was the Student Union Association President for my community. So in the middle of that, I had the opportunity to be at the right place at the right time when I met with Allen Onyema who asked me if I was interested in studying as a pilot. So it was intentional from him and I also positioned myself by being at the right place, at the right time. I had already finished my university. He was the grand patron of the association at the time, in our community. We just went to meet him and in the course of our discussion, he came up with this offer.

That was how it all happened. Because everybody who is a pilot, has this initial drive, because it’s not an easy area, there are a lot of challenges.

Can you talk of the cost of training a pilot in Nigeria and how you managed these costs. Or was your scholarship a full scholarship?

So, I won’t really delve more in terms of how I was able to manage the costs, because I was under full scholarship. So, for the younger generations who might want to come into the field, but the costs or the financing is an issue for them, my advice to them always is start small and grow big.

Start from the least cost-effective field in the industry. For instance, cabin crew training cost around N300,000 to N400,000, flight dispatch is around N600,000 to N700,000. So, people can easily come up with these. After you come into the industry, God willing, you can you get a job. Once you get a job, you will have the opportunity of meeting people and talking to them. From there, you could  get a scholarship through anybody. It could be an individual, through government, through any government partner or through organisations. But it will be difficult for you when you are not in the industry and you are seeking scholarship from anybody from the scratch. The organisation or individual might think, you could be looking for money for house rent or something else. But when you are already into the system, it’s very easy to convince anyone you approach for support because you have already set the ball rolling, it’s just to give it a push.

In Air Peace as of today, we have like five or even more of our flight dispatchers that are in flying school and they are sponsoring themselves from the little money they get from the job they are doing and from other little sponsorship that they are getting; N50,000, N100,000, and they keep pushing.

It might take time, but at the end of the day, you will definitely get to your destination.

What prompted you to start using the language that most Nigerians are in tune with ‘pidgin English’ on board and how receptive are the passengers to this ? 

While I was flying as a co-pilot, I always noticed that people are scared of flying. Then, once in a while, I notice that the captains sometimes use English and a touch of Pidgin. After the flight, passengers would be complimenting the pilots.

So once in a while, when I’m flying with those captains, I’ll be like, ‘would you mind if I brief the passengers in Pidgin and English?’ They would say, no problem, go ahead. So I do that and at the end of the flight, we still get the accolades. So when I became a captain, I tried it a few times and I saw that people were liking it. It now went viral. So in fact, currently, any day I try to brief passengers in normal English, as they are disembarking, they will all be frowning. It has now become like my own signature. Pidgin English keeps passengers calm when they are flying, especially for those who are nervous or afraid of flying.