Enugu: 18-year-old girl wins aviation competition

An 18-year-old indigene of Enugu State, Favour Francis, has emerged winner of the 2026 Southeast Aviation Summit/Eastwing Youth Competition, securing a scholarship to study Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Eastwing Aviation Institute.

Francis emerged victorious after a competition involving candidates from different states across the Southeast at the grand finale of SASEYC 2.0 held on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Organised by the Eastwing Youth Foundation and Eastwing Aviation Institute, the competition was held under the theme, “Advancing Youth Potentials Through Aviation Innovation & Excellence,” and brought together young people, aviation professionals, educators, business leaders and other stakeholders.

Speaking after the competition, the Convener, Christian Agadibe, described the contest as a challenge among youths from across the region, noting that Francis distinguished herself through confidence, passion and determination.

“It was a stiff competition among the Southeast youth from different states, and Favour emerged through her confidence, passion and determination,” Agadibe said.

Francis, whose emergence as the winner was one of the emotional highlights of the event, admitted that she initially felt intimidated by some of the other contestants but said she overcame her fears and remained focused on the competition.