Zimbabwe: Mugabe Gets First Car as Gift

 

 Harare — The black vintage Ford that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was given at his 91st birthday party last week was actually the first car he owned, according to a news report on Sunday.
Loyal supporters of the president tracked down the black Ford Zephyr in South Africa, the Sunday Mail reported. Mugabe last saw the car in 1963.
"We wanted to find a befitting gift for the president," Zimbabwean businessman Kumbirayi Mangwanda told the newspaper.
Mangwanda said he contacted the Friends of Joshua Trust, a local charity set up in memory of the late vice president Joshua Nkomo. The group is involved in research into Zimbabwe's history.
The businessman told the Sunday Mail: "We sat down with them and the idea of locating the vintage gift was adopted."
The Ford Zephyr was reportedly being held as a tourism piece under the Vintage Society of South Africa. It has had three or four owners in the intervening 51 years. Mangwanda says he paid for it, the newspaper said.
The new number plate on the car is RGM1963. Mugabe's initials are RGM. The G stands for Gabriel.
"[Mugabe's] pure pleasure in seeing his first love was unmistakeable," the Sunday Mail reported.
"The car's engine is still running like a beauty."

Davido admits sleeping with Abuja Babe but denies Pregnancy

According to National Enquirer, Davido and Sophie, an Abuja based university drop-out kicked off their affair around July 2014 after she was offered as the ‘soul-calmer’ for the night during one of his trips to the prestigious Transcorp Hilton hotel, Abuja.

The relationship between Davido and Belladona, as she is popularly known, started getting serious around early September 2014 even though his HKN gang never supported it. 

This is a girl that is known as a big time runs girl in the whole of Abuja

she and her friends Harriet and Rockxy have slept with virtually all the big boys and politicians in Abuja, so Shina Rambo and the rest of the gang know her story and can never be happy she is now claiming to be pregnant for Davido.

So here’s what happened after the pregnancy news broke, NETNG reached out to Davido’s camp and his people confirmed that yes, there was a s*xual relationship between she and Davido.

An HKN source said, "People like to talk, the fact that the girl is pregnant doesn’t mean that Davido is the one responsible. Anyways, we both know it’s not today that we’ve been having all this pregnancy allegations for Davido. The truth is Davido sure knows the girl, but they are not as close as they used to be so I really can’t tell, and if she comes tomorrow and says Davido is the father of her baby or Davido got her pregnant then we’ll demand a DNA test."

Now that the mattter is going towards DNA test, it means something is not right.

How Kidnap Of Umaru Dikko Was Foiled 30 Years Ago

How Kidnap Of Umaru Dikko Was Foiled 30 Years Ago

July 2, 2014 • By pmnews

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Thirty years ago, there was an attempt to kidnap a Nigerian minister, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, who died in London on Tuesday morning.

Not many young Nigerians knew about that drama that happened in 1984 at Stansted Airport in London where the erstwhile influential Transport Minister was in exile following the military coup that aborted the Alhaji Shehu Shagari goverment on 31 December, 1983.

Here is the interesting story about that dramatic episode by Wikipedia:
The Dikko Affair was a joint Nigerian-Israeli attempt to kidnap Umaru Dikko, a former Nigerian civilian government minister living in the United Kingdom, in 1984, and secretly transport him back to Nigeria in a diplomatic bag.

The kidnapping took place, but the transportation was unsuccessful. After it was foiled, the political fallout seriously damaged relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom for years.

Dikko was an influential Transport Minister in the civilian administration of President Shehu Shagari, his brother-in-law.

In 1983, the Nigerian government was overthrown in a military coup led by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, and a new military government led by Buhari was established.

On his second day in power, Buhari issued a list of former government officials accused of a variety of crimes. Dikko, who topped the list, was accused of embezzling several million dollars in oil profits from the national treasury.

Despite strenuous efforts to locate him, Dikko vanished without trace. In actual fact, Dikko moved to the UK and settled in London, and became a vocal critic of the regime in exile.

Though Israel, at the time, did not have formal diplomatic relations with Nigeria, there were less visible ties between the two nations.

In particular, Nigeria was an important source of oil for Israel, and Israel was a significant supplier of arms to Nigeria. The Israeli national intelligence agency Mossad was recruited to locate and bring Dikko back to Nigeria to stand trial.

Mossad sources across Europe were mobilized, but all failed to locate any trace of Dikko. However, Mossad Director-General Nahum Admoni decided that Dikko was probably in London, which had become a haven for Nigerian exiles critical of the new regime.

Mossad katsas, accompanied by Nigerian security service agents led by ex-Nigerian Army Major Mohammed Yusufu, travelled to London. The Nigerian team rented an apartment on Cromwell Road and posed as refugees from the new regime. The Mossad agents rented rooms in hotels catering to tourists from Africa, and posed as anti-apartheid activists.

Working separately, the two teams moved among the Nigerian expat community in London, gradually narrowing their search to West London, to the area around Hyde Park, where many wealthy Nigerian exiles lived. They combed the electoral registers freely available in the area’s town halls, but found no trace of Dikko.

On 30 June 1984, a Mossad agent driving down Queensway spotted Dikko. He parked his car and then tailed Dikko on foot to his house in Porchester Terrace. Admoni was immediately informed, and ordered surveillance on the house.

From then on, the house was constantly watched, while the Nigerians, using their London embassy as a base, prepared a kidnapping operation. Meanwhile, the Mossad recruited Dr. Levi-Arie Shapiro, an Israeli doctor who was a consultant anesthetist and director of the intensive care unit at HaSharon Hospital, to fly to London and participate in the operation. Shapiro’s job would be to drug Dikko, and insert an endotracheal tube to keep him from choking on his own vomit whilst being transported in a crate.

Late in the evening of 3 July 1984, a Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 arrived at Stansted Airport from Lagos. The aircraft had arrived empty, and the pilot notified the authorities that the plane had arrived to pick up diplomatic baggage from the Nigerian embassy.

On board were several Nigerian security guards, who openly identified themselves as such and stated that they were there to protect the baggage. Their presence was reported to Scotland Yard’s Special Branch.

The following day, Dikko was kidnapped in front of his home while he was out for a walk and taken away in a van driven by Yusufu. He was then drugged into unconsciousness by Shapiro. However, the abduction was witnessed by Dikko’s secretary, Elizabeth Hayes, who quickly notified the authorities.

Dikko and Shapiro were placed in one crate (dimensions 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.5 meters), while Mossad agents Alexander Barak and Felix Abithol occupied a second. However, proper documentation that would have ensured that the cargo could not be inspected was not provided. The crates were not labelled as diplomatic bags, as required by Article 27(4) of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

As a result, customs officials who had received an all-points bulletin alerting them to the kidnapping while the crates were being processed at the airport, were able to open the crates without violating the convention and foil the kidnapping. Dikko was taken to a hospital; he was uninjured.

Seventeen men were arrested; four were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of 10 to 14 years: Shapiro, Barak, Abithol, and Yusufu. All four were released after serving between six and eight and a half years, and were quietly deported. In retaliation, two British engineers in Nigeria were arrested and given fourteen-year prison sentences.

The Nigerian and Israeli governments never admitted any connection to the incident. Nonetheless, the British government immediately expelled two members of the Nigerian High Commission in London, including the High Commissioner.

Diplomatic relations with Nigeria were broken off for two years. The CEO of Nigeria Airways was at one point almost arrested by British police. In the aftermath of the affair, Nigeria filed a formal extradition request for Dikko, but it was refused.

The Nigerian government’s war against the previous government’s corruption was also weakened, as the British governments also rejected Nigerian requests to extradite other politicians wanted in Nigeria on corruption charges and living in exile in Britain.

Dikko was eventually asked to return to Nigeria. He accepted the invitation and set up a political party.

Ritualists’ den owned by a pastor uncovered in Lagos, 8 kidnapped victims rescued

A ritualist den owned by one pastor Ernest Nwankwo, the General Overseer of Holy Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy wasyesterday June 25th uncovered at Ogolonto area in Ikorodu, Lagos, with 8 victims rescued.

According to Vanguard, the den was discovered after a failed attempt by a woman identified as Mrs Rosemary Chukwu, a member of Pastor Nwankwo's church, to kidnap her neighbor's 7 year old son, Emeka Emmanuel to the den for rituals.

Sources in the area said around 6.30 am yesterday, Mrs Chukwu lured the little boy who was on his way to fetch water from a well down the road and took him to her house where she locked him in the toilet. To keep her neighbors from hearing the little boy's screams for help, Chukwu then instructed her own children to begin a prayer session which they did, shouting on top of their voices. Continue...

Trouble however started when the boy's mother who stays four buildings from Mrs Chukwu raised alarm after she could not find her son. A search for the young boy began which Mrs Chukwu also partook in. Minutes into the search, Mrs Chukwu was said to have excused herself, went into her house and then came out with a box on her head, saying she was travelling. Suspecting foul play, some of the area boys instructed her to put down the suitcase which was opened and the unconscious body of the 7 year old boy was discovered.

A resident of the area, Oyetoye Gbemi who spoke with Vanguard said the area boys descended on her and she confessed it was her pastor who sent her

"She told us she was travelling to the village. But one of the area boys who was among the search party, ordered his colleagues to search the box. Immediately she heard that, she flung the box away and took to her heels. We all suspected something was amiss. When the box was opened, Emmanuel was found inside, half dead. The area boysdescended on her and stripped her naked. On interrogation, she said her pastor, the General Overseer of Holy Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy, asked her to bring the boy. The area boysfollowed her to 319, Lagos Road, Ikorodu, where the church is situated, where they saw her pastor waiting for her. But on sighting the crowd, he took to his heels. But for the arrival of Policemen from Owutu division, the woman would have been lynched. The angry mob also attempted to set the church ablaze but were also prevented by the policemen. They, however, succeeded in torching some parts of the property.” he said

In the process of chasing the fleeing Pastor and burning some part of the church building, area boys forced open a door to a building at 7, Oshodi Street, which was directly at the back of the church building and owned by Pastor Ernest. To everyone's amazement, men and women, eight in number, chained and looking frail were found in the building. The captives upon interrogation said they were kidnapped from various places like Ogun, Anambra, Bayelsa and Oyo states. One of the captives, a 50 year old woman said she was kidnapped while returning from a night vigil. One of the rescued victim, 52 year old man pictured above without a shirt said he was a commercial bus driver and was kidnapped two years ago.

Residents in the area said the building owned by the pastor had always been under suspicion as no one ever saw anyone coming out or going in during the day. They said most of the activities carried out in the building is usually done at night.

Police sources confirmed the arrest of Mrs Chukwu while her pastor is currently on the run.

Egypt: 183 Death Sentences Confirmed in Minya

 

Beirut — An Egyptian court in Minya on June 21, 2014, confirmed 183 of the 683 provisional death sentences imposed after a lightning trial that severely violated the defendants' due process rights. The authorities should ensure that all the defendants have a prompt retrial in accordance with international fair trial standards.
Judge Said Youssef confirmed the 183 death sentences, including for Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide, Mohamed al-Badie, in connection with a mid-August 2013 attack on the Adwa police station in the central Egyptian governorate of Minya that left two policemen dead. On April 28, 2014, Judge Youssef had recommended the death penalty for 683 defendants. These provisional sentences were reviewed by Egypt's Mufti, the country's preeminent interpreter of Islamic law, whose advice to judges is nonbinding and confidential The court commuted four of the other provisional death sentences to lengthy prison terms, including two women and one man given life sentences and one man sentenced to 15 years in prison in addition to receiving a death sentence, and acquitted 496 others, a human rights activist who attended the June 21 session told Human Rights Watch.
"Condemning 183 rather than 683 people to die after a cursory and one-sided trial is still a travesty of justice," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director. "The punishments are deadly serious, but the trials weren't."
Only 74 defendants were present for the Adwa trial's single hearing on March 25. None were present for the sentencing on April 28 and June 21. The charges included murder, the attempted murder of five people, including a local Christian man, threatening public order, and burning the Adwa police station.
Defense lawyers had boycotted the trial after the same judge condemned 529 people to death for an August 2013 attack on the Matay police station, also in Minya, following a similarly brief trial on nearly identical charges. On April 28, Judge Youssef confirmed 37 of those 529 death sentences and sentenced the other defendants to life in prison.
Attacks on the two police stations in Minya took place in August 2013 amid riots following security forces' lethal dispersal of two large Cairo sit-ins.
Under Egyptian judicial procedure, the country's general prosecutor automatically appeals death sentences to the Court of Cassation, which can order a retrial. Defendants may also appeal to the court for a retrial. If the retrial results in a similar verdict, the defense may again ask the Court of Cassation to grant a retrial.

BREAKING: Explosion rocks Kano School of Hygiene

     

       

 

The police confirmed the explosion.

—————————–

A blast suspected to be from an explosive device has just occurred at the School of Hygiene, Kano.
The ‎spokesperson of the Kano Police, Magaji Majiya, confirmed the blast to PREMIUM TIMES.
He said the state’s Commissioner of Police and other officers were on their way to the scene of the blast.
He said the area has been cordoned off. He also said the commissioner will address the media at the scene shortly.
Details later‎…

Rihanna Is Loving Her Some African Men! She Calls Wizkid “Amazing”!

 

Since breaking up with Drake, Rihanna has become a free agent and it looks like she is loving herself some African men. Last week she revealed her crush on Ghanaian footballer Kevin Prince Boateng [READ HERE] and now she has called Wizkid amazing!
An excited  Wizzy revealed this when he tweeted: “@rihanna called me amazing! love her! Lol”


It is not known if she was referring to his music or Wizkid as a person. What we do know is Wizkid will be featuring some of the biggest names in music on his forthcoming album, with confirmed duets with Riri’s ex – Chris Brown, Big Sean and Tyga.
Over the weekend the 23 year old was papped outside the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hils, California with Chris Brown and his girlfriend/Rihanna’s nemesis Karrauche Tran.




Wizzy sure is having the time of his life in L.A.!!! Wouldn’t a Wizkid and Rihanna collab be awesome?

 

Brazil 2014 World Cup breaks TV records, says FIFA

 

 

FIFA said nearly 43 million people tuned into Brazilian network TV Globo's coverage of the opening game of the football World Cup, making it the most viewed sporting event of the year.

Japan's NHK broadcast of the game against the Ivory Coast received 34.1 million viewers, almost double the number from the network's second largest sporting event of 2014. Football in Japan has become hugely popular after it co-hosted the 2002 event.

World football's governing body said more than 26 million Germans enjoyed watching their team thrash Portugal on German network ARD's coverage of the Group G game.

The BBC's coverage of England's opening game against Italy attracted 14.2 million viewers in the UK, making it the broadcaster's most viewed event of 2014, according to FIFA.

Over 11 million people tuned in to watch the United States' first game of the World Cup, making the event a record high for ESPN's coverage of the tournament. FIFA said these figures show an encouraging growth in interest from a country which refers to the sport as "soccer."

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• FIFA says World Cup has produced record performances for broadcasters
• Opening game between Brazil and Croatia watched by 43 million on host network
• Japanese channel doubled its best sports numbers this year for Ivory Coast game

How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN's Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- The 2014 World Cup in Brazil has shown the growing global interest in football, according to early broadcast figures released by the game's governing body FIFA .

The first round of group matches have shattered TV viewing records worldwide and highlighted an increase in the amount of people watching football in countries that aren't known for their ardent fanaticism.

Fans in countries such as the United States and Australia have tuned in in their millions to watch their national teams play in one of the biggest sporting events of the world.

FIFA said the first-round game between the U.S. and Ghana brought in 11.1 million viewers on ESPN, a record high for its coverage of World Cup matches.

The opening game of the tournament between Brazil and Croatia on June 12 had 42.9 million people watching on Brazilian network TV Globo, FIFA said, making it the most watched sporting event of the year.

Italy's 1-0 win over England was seen by 14.2 million on BBC1 in the UK and 12.8 million on RAI 1, the highest TV audiences in both countries in 2014.

Some 26.4 million in Germany watched Thomas Muller score a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Portugal on the ARD channel, which FIFA said was the country's biggest 2014 TV sports audience.

Japan's defeat by the Ivory Coast was seen by 34.1 million on Japanese channel NHK -- double that of its next biggest sports broadcast this year.

England loses to Uruguay in World Cup

 

Other viewing highs were achieved in Argentina, France, the Netherlands, Croatia and the French-speaking part of Belgium.

"These record-breaking figures show just how popular football and the FIFA World Cup are across the world, from Japan to Argentina," FIFA TV director Niclas Ericson said.

"We are seeing highly encouraging growth in interest in markets such as the United States and Australia."

FIFA said it had spent $150 million on broadcasting the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was again investing significant amounts in the Brazil event.

It said it agreed licensing agreements with over 700 media broadcasters, ranging from television to radio and the internet.

"The FIFA broadcast production of all World Cup matches makes this competition truly global and accessible for fans all over the world," Ericson said.

"It therefore plays a crucial role in supporting FIFA's core mission to develop football everywhere, and for all."

This Lady got Fed up of Divorce and Mortgages,So decided to do THIS

This Lady Got Fed Up Of Divorce And Mortgages, So She Decided To Do THIS.

Macy Miller from Idaho always had a dream of building her own personal fortress. She finally embarked on turning that dream into a reality when she become fed up of mortgages after foreclosing on her home after a divorce. So what did she do? Build her own tiny home of 196 square feet.    Let's take a tour of the inside of the finished masterpiece. Here's the kitchen! Uploading... minimotives.com Macy's tiny home proves that good design maximizes use of space and keeps the home still completely functional and cozy.  Uploading... minimotives.com Macy's home was constructed primarily from recycled and leftover materials.  Uploading... minimotives.com Uploading... minimotives.com Uploading... minimotives.com Uploading... minimotives.com It took years for Macy to realize her dream but she never gave up, even after a little mishap during construction that led to a back injury. Uploading... minimotives.com The home is also completely mobile! Uploading... minimotives.com What an inviting little retreat!  Uploading...

Governor Kayode Fayemi Makes Concession Speech On Fayose's Victory

Few hours after the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, was declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the winner of the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, western Nigeria, the incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi has released a concession speech.
It could be recalled that, according to results released by INEC, Mr Fayose had scored 203, 090 votes to beat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Fayemi, who scored 120, 433.
The electoral body also announced that the candidate of the Labour Party, Bamidele Michael Opeyemi, scored 18,135 votes to come third.
Scroll down for video
While reacting to the results announced by INEC early Sunday morning, Governor Fayemi said: "If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice."

 * PDP’s Ayo Fayose
Below is the full concession speech made by the incumbent Governor Fayemi:
"Yesterday, Ekiti State decided. Following the gubernatorial elections held in the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.
If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heedyour voice.
I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the Governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.
It has been a hard fought election. As expected, in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured the nooks and crannies of the state to sell ourselves to the people. Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see brother rising against brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday, we must remember that we are all sons and daughters of Ekiti State. Ekiti is ours to build together.
On our part, over the course of the campaigns, we presented our scorecards before the people of Ekiti State. We never at any point took your support for granted. We campaigned, we canvassed and we traversed the nooks and crannies of this State. Our performance and achievements in office will remain the backdrop against which the next government and indeed future governments will be assessed. We are proud that with the support of Ekiti people, we have raised the bar of excellence in governance. In all, we gave our best, for conscience and for posterity.
Indeed a new sociology of the Ekiti people may have evolved. However, the task of understanding how the outcome of this election has defined us as a people will be that of scholars. For us as an administration and a cadre of political leaders in Ekiti State, we have fought a good fight, we have kept faith.
To members of our party, our campaign team and indeed all Ekiti people who defied the siege on our state to cast their votes for our party, I salute your exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment. Thank you for staying the course. The incidences of brazen harassment, intimidation and allied infractions on fundamental humanrights, which many of you suffered in the hands of agents of the state, would be documented and communicated to the appropriate authorities, for the records.
I thank you all for listening.
May God bless the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Meanwhile, shortly after Mr Fayode was declared winner of the Ekiti Governorship elections, President Goodluck Jonathan had gone on his official Facebook account to post congratulatory message on Fayose’s victory.
Prior to the election, political analysts had predicted the contest to be between the candidates of three parties – the incumbent governor, Kayode Fayemi of the APC, a former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose of the PDP, and a member of the House of Representatives, Opeyemi Bamidele of the Labour Party.

Uzo Aduba Of “Orange Is the New Black” Nabs Critics’ Choice Award For Her Role As Crazy Eyes!

Nigerians are doing it big!
Nigerian/American actress Uzo Aduba who plays “Crazy Eyes” on the hit Netflix series “Orange Is The New Black” took home the award for Best Guest Performer In A Comedy Series  at The 4th Annual Critic Choice Awards which went down at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on June 19, 2014.
Kate Mulgrew (who plays Red on Orange Is The New Black) took home the award for Best Supporting Actress while OITNB won Best Comedy Series, making it a total of three wins for the series.
See the full list of winners after the jump

Uzo Aduba as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren

BEST DRAMA SERIES: Breaking Bad
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES: Bellamy Young, Scandal
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES: Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
BEST COMEDY SERIES: Orange Is the New Black
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES: TIE – Allison Janney, Mom/Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES: Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES: Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
BEST MOVIE: The Normal Heart
BEST MINI-SERIES: Fargo
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES: Allison Tolman, Fargo
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
BEST REALITY HOST: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
BEST TALK SHOW: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
BEST ANIMATED SERIES: Archer
BEST REALITY SERIES – COMPETITION: Shark Tank
BEST REALITY SERIES: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Image Credit: Getty/NETFLIX

 

Rwanda's first female pilot takes to the skies

 

As Rwanda's first female commercial pilot, Esther Mbabazi wants women to realize they can do anything. "Time has changed. Women are out there working, technology has changed, and everyone has the brains to do something, now it's not about how much bicep or how much energy you have."

A typical day sees the 26-year-old on duty for an often exhausting 12-hour shift but after achieving her lifelong ambition of being up in the clouds, Mbabazi wouldn't change a single thing. "If you're in a field that you are really, you have passion for it. You can't wait for what tomorrow is going to bring for you, for me, that's my biggest achievement -- to be in a place whereby I'm happy."

Being a pilot isn't just sitting in the cockpit, explains Mbabazi. "Basically you need to know your crew: who you are flying with, and the weather, from your departure, your arrival and your alternate, if the weather in your destination is not good, so you need the alternate as well." And that's before you even get onto the aircraft...

Moving into the role of pilot has been a tough journey and it hasn't been any easier since she finished her training. Mbabazi reveals that being a female pilot still causes increased scrutiny. "I think it's perception. Right now you meet a lot of people and some are very excited, and some are OK."

Recalling one particular incident, she says: "The cabin crew said we'll gladly leave you behind. You've already paid the ticket, so if your reason is that basic and shallow, it's not because of safety reasons. It's just because you don't want to fly with a woman, we'll gladly leave you behind."

Mbabazi may have achieved her goal of becoming a pilot by 24 years old. Yet her ambitions keep getting bigger. "When I was younger I used to see the U.N. planes and the World Food Program take relief and foods to war torn areas and I thought to myself I'd like to do this one day."

 

 

• Esther Mbabazi is Rwanda's first female commercial pilot flying regional jets for Rwandair
• A tough dream job for many but for a women in Rwanda, it was previously unheard of
• Mbabazi says that as a woman she is scrutinized more intensely in the aviation industry
• "If there's a woman on board and something happens you know definitely you're going to be mentioned"

African Voices is a weekly show that highlights Africa's most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera. Follow the team on Twitter.

Kigali, Rwanda (CNN) -- Esther Mbabazi wheels her bag towards the airstairs of the Boeing 737 sitting quietly on the tarmac at Kigali International Airport. Today she'll be flying from Rwanda's capital city to Juba in South Sudan.

A short hop south with a flying time of around 1 hour and 20 minutes. But for Mbabazi, 26, it isn't about the destination. As Rwanda's first female pilot, it's about the journey and her highest priority is to get passengers safely to their terminus.

"Growing up I wanted to be a pilot when I was four," says Mbabazi, who became a pilot for Rwanda's national airline carrier, RwandAir, at 24. "I'd never been inside a cockpit but I used to see a plane in the sky and I imagined that thing must be flown by someone.

Meet Rwanda's first female pilot

Pilot recalls first solo flight

Do female pilots face more scrutiny?

"I had to go for it. Even though it looked like a long shot, it was my only shot -- that's how I saw it so I went for it, and here I am."

Dream big

During her childhood, Esther's family would move on a regular basis due to her father's work as a pastor. But her desire to take to the skies never wavered, even after her father passed away in a plane crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when the passenger aircraft he was traveling on overshot the runway and hit some terrain.

Read this: The woman saving Uganda's lost children

"From day one, he was always my biggest supporter or fan," recalls Mbabazi, who lost her father before turning 10."[But] an accident is an accident. Like I said, if someone gets hit by a car, you don't stop driving.

"You can't live life being scared an in fear of anything. If something is bound to happen, you can't stop it."

Going all in

Thus, Mbabazi continued to work toward her goal of becoming a pilot and achieving what no other woman in her country had done before.

Once she completed high school, she packed her things and bought a one-way ticket to attend pilot school in Uganda.

"When I went it was a one-way decision," she says. "If they bounce me, I'll just pack my things and come back -- so that was the way I joined pilot school, and it was a long journey."

More from African Voices

"Time has changed. Women are out there working, technology has changed, and everyone has the brains to do something.
Esther Mbabazi, Rwanda's first female pilot

A year later, Mbabazi began training with Rwandair in Miami and her exploration of the aviation world began.

"My greatest memories are flying to different cities," she says. "Being in the sky gives you a whole other view -- you get to see what they call a bird's eye view of everything."

Sexism in the skies?

Now, the young pilot has become a pioneer in a male-dominated industry in Rwanda, and yet she knows she is constantly being closely watched because of her gender.

"No one ever says, 'Oh it's a male crew aircraft that crashed,' even though it's been many of the sort," she says. "But you know, if there's a woman on board and something happens, you know, definitely you're going to be mentioned."

Mbabazi recalls a previous incident where a passenger realized that the pilot for his flight was a woman shortly after arriving at the gate and refused to get on the flight.

"The cabin crew said we'll gladly leave you behind. You've already paid the ticket, so if your reason is that basic and shallow, it's not because of safety reasons. It's just because you don't want to fly with a woman, we'll gladly leave you behind."

Mbabazi refuses to let her critics win and is determined to continue being a role model for others. She hopes that her achievements can provide inspiration to other women who might not think they can attain their dreams jobs.

"Time has changed," she says. "Women are out there working, technology has changed, and everyone has the brains to do something, now it's not about how much bicep or how much energy you have."