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The family of Enejoh Faith, an aviation student whose training was sponsored by former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, has expressed appreciation to the former governor after she successfully completed her programme.
Faith and her family visited Mr Bello on Monday to thank him for supporting her aviation education after the family struggled to raise the funds required for her training.
According to a statement by Onogwu Muhammed, spokesperson to the former governor, Bello first met Faith and her father on July 17, 2025, when they visited his residence to seek financial assistance.
Faith, who was dressed in an aviation uniform, had secured admission for aviation training but her family could not afford the cost of completing her registration.
Her father reportedly presented her admission letter and other relevant documents to Bello and explained the family’s financial difficulties.
Bello subsequently decided to take full responsibility for Faith’s aviation training.
Muhammed said the cost of the programme was estimated at N30 million, adding that Bello provided more than the amount initially requested because he anticipated that Faith might encounter additional financial challenges during her studies.
The intervention, according to the statement, was not publicly announced at the time, as no press conference or media coverage was organised around it.
During Monday’s visit, Faith and her family briefed Bello on her progress and expressed gratitude for his support.
Faith’s father said his daughter scored 89 per cent out of 100 in her public pilot licence examination and also performed excellently in her computer-based test.
He said she had completed her training and was preparing for the next stage of her aviation career.
According to him, Faith had nurtured the ambition of becoming a pilot since her secondary school days.
He also said Bello had no prior relationship with either him or his daughter before their first encounter.
“And Oga did not know me before. He didn’t know my daughter,” he said.
Expressing gratitude to the former governor, Faith’s father said Bello had become a highly valued member of their family.
“God will bless you, sir. I have nothing to reciprocate. In this family, after God, you are the next person to us. Our family will continue to remember you. Even at death, our spirit will continue to appreciate you,” he said.
He also recalled the anxiety he experienced before the family received Bello’s intervention.
“Before we came to your place, my BP rose to 180. When we left, and I checked the next day, it came back to 130. If I had died that very day, I would have still died a happy and fulfilled man on earth,” he said.
The father also prayed for Bello, asking God to support him in his personal and political battles.
“I pray from the depth of my heart, the heart of my children, my wife, everybody here, that God will fight your battle. Whatever battle that is ahead of you, God will fight for you. God Almighty will fight for you,” he said.
Muhammed said the intervention was part of Bello’s private scholarship initiatives aimed at supporting students facing financial difficulties.
According to him, at least four people have so far been trained as pilots through the former governor’s private scholarship scheme, while others have received financial assistance to study at universities in Nigeria and abroad.
He said Faith’s family requested that her story be made public to highlight the intervention that enabled her to pursue and complete her aviation training.
Muhammed added that the family’s visit was not to seek further assistance, but to thank Bello and share the outcome of his intervention.
