Flight Lieutenant Kafayat Omolara Sanni, Nigeria’s trailblazing first female fighter pilot, has added another feather to her cap by clinching two prestigious awards at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), Accra.
At the graduation ceremony held on 20 June 2025, Flt Lt Sanni was named the “Best Allied Student” and also received the award for the “Best Assistant Commandant Paper.” The event drew top military officials and dignitaries from across Africa, highlighting the strategic importance of regional defence cooperation and excellence.
Flight Lieutenant Sanni first gained national recognition in 2019 when she became the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) first female fighter pilot, following rigorous training in the United States. Since then, she has demonstrated operational proficiency by flying the Alpha Jet and serving as an instructor pilot on the Super Mushshak, mentoring the next generation of NAF pilots.
Her latest achievement at GAFCSC underscores not only her personal excellence and resilience but also Nigeria’s growing influence in regional defence circles. It reflects the NAF’s unwavering commitment to human capital development, gender inclusion, and professionalism under the leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar.
Flt Lt Sanni’s distinction at an international military institution serves as an inspiration to women in uniform and reinforces the Nigerian military’s progressive transformation agenda.
