Claim: A Facebook user posted a picture of a pilot, Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo, claiming she is the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first female Nigerian pilot to fly the Boeing 787.
Verdict: TRUE. Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first Nigerian woman to fly Boeing 787 for Qatar Airways in 2019.
Full Text
In a patriarchal society like Africa, women’s increasing career feat is noteworthy, as many women continue to break the glass ceiling in their diverse fields like sports, politics, health, and economics.
In the aviation sector, names like the Egyptian Lotfia Elnadi (the first African female aviator to earn a pilot’s license), the Somalian Asli Hassan Abade (the first African female Air Force pilot) and Chinyere Kalu (the first Nigerian female commercial pilot), are written in history and recognised through generations.
A Facebook user, Promise Uzoma Okoro, shared a photo on the platform featuring Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo, with the caption that she is the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first to fly the Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is reputed to be one of the fastest commercial aircraft, capable of conveying 248-336 passengers.
He wrote, “Congratulations [to] Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo, the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first Nigerian female pilot to fly the Boeing 787.”
As of the time of filing this report, the post has gone viral with more than 31,000 reactions, 4,000 comments, and 638 reshares, where many are congratulating.
DUBAWA ran a fact-check to ascertain the accuracy of the post.
Verification
We ran a reverse image search on the shared image using Google Lens (a digital tool used to verify the source of an image). We discovered that the woman in the photo is indeed Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo.
A keyword search on the name further revealed that she was a pilot from Ogbomosho in Oyo state. She started her aviation career by completing her Standard Aviation course in 2010 and received her Commercial Pilot license from Sunrise Aviation, Florida, the following year.
In October 2018, she joined Qatar Airways, an airline owned by a country in the Middle East renowned for restricting women’s activities. She flew the Dreamliner the following year as the first Nigerian female pilot on record to achieve such a feat. The achievement was mentioned on Nairametrics, and other credible media platforms. She also flew the inaugural Qatar Airways flight to Abuja in November 2020.
Conclusion
Adeola Ogunmola Sowemimo is indeed the first Nigerian female pilot at Qatar Airways and the first Nigerian woman to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamline. Therefore, the claim is true.
