A few months back, Ademilola Odujinrin was reported to have embarked on his first solo trip around the world alone. He specifically made that decision so his dream can become a reality.
It was gathered that Odujinrin did not only accomplish his mission, he also made history as he became the first African man to fly solo around the world within a little time. He covered 5 continents within 9 months.
In an exclusive interview with NAIJ.com, the record breaker Ademilola Odujinrin opened up on how he almost lost his life during this great challenge, how his wife thought he was crazy, how people looked down on him and the special blessings from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Captain Ademilola Odujinrin with the Ooni of Ife
However, after his return to Nigeria, Mr Odujinrin has gone to pay a special visit to the Ooni of Ife, to thank him for his support and prayers. Also, he has met with the Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Read his full interview below:
Q: The first time you told your wife you want to embark on this trip, what was her reaction?
ANS: At first she thought I was crazy. I don’t think she believed me maybe because she did not believe me; she did not react to it. However, as tie moved on I think it dawned on her that this guy wasn’t going to give up and by then, it was too late. She had fallen in love so much that she had to support me.
Q. Aside her, how did your family react to it as well?
ANS: do you know it’s so funny. My Dad is very liberal, so he was happy about the idea but my mother was like ‘no you can’t, do you want to go and kill yourself?’ but by the time I made her realize it was my dream and we have to have people who would believe in me. So we all have to give a part of our share.
Q: You must have made a lot of sacrifices in order for this dream to come true, what were they?
ANS: Sure I did but most of all, I think all the sacrifices I made worth seeing the Nigerian flag where it is right now. I get sick and tired of people when they speak about Nigeria the negative way. Many nations have bad eggs but I am particularly kin on making sure that when people speak of Nigeria, they speak also of the good side of Nigeria.
Q: Did you actually set out to be a pilot and what was the inspiration?
ANS: Yes from the age of 7 years old, especially between ages of 7 to 10, I have always wanted to be a pilot. My uncle as one of my biggest inspirators. I went flying with my uncle and I loved it. Also, when I used to play with kites as a kid also and I just fell in love with the dynamics of flying and all those things associated with it.
Q: Your first time flying, how will you describe the experience?
ANS: It was a beautiful experience and sight for me. I was not scared in any way. I was just 9 years old back then.
Q: How many continents were you able to cover out of the 7 and how many countries did you visit?
ANS: In all sincerity, I flew five continents out of seven. I visited 20 countries and I had 35 stops but the trip took me 9 months to finish.
Ademilola Odujinrin presenting a gift to the Ooni of Ife in the palace
Q: Of all your trips, which particular terrain scared you the most?
ANS: Hmmm! That was Hawaii to California because the aero plane was outside ever single and operational limit. So the plane was overweight. I took off middle of the night around 2am when there was no moon and no sun and it took me 14 hours above the ocean and I had not slept the previous day.
Q: Knowing all the risk involved, why did you decide to embark on the journey?
ANS: The major thing about this trip is being able to eliminate the worst scenarios. So if I took off about 2am in the morning, the chances of anything going wrong in the first three hours are very slim and the chances of anything going wrong in the last
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