It took one week for aviation stakeholders to reconcile with the reality that they have lost one of their own, the late Captain Shehu Usman Iyal, who passed on in Lagos last Thursday.

Captain Iyal was embedded in the aviation industry, where he played many roles and where he made invaluable contributions that gave rise to benchmark achievements and policies that shaped the aviation sector

Captain Iyal was former Senior Special Assistant to the President on Aviation Matters during the tenures of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Umar Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan as Presidents of Nigeria.

He was also the Managing Director of Afri-Air International Limited, a fixed base facility and service provider at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Captain Iyal who was born in Zaria, was a 1977 graduate of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He was also an alumnus of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

He was at the Rogers Aviation, Bedford, United Kingdom, where he obtained certification as Assistant Flying Instructor Rating (Procedures) in 1982.

Reacting to his death, former Deputy Secretary of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, told THISDAY he was shocked about the demise of late Captain Iyal.

“Captain Shehu Usman Iyal was a man of the people. He was simple, easy going and has put in over 40 years serving the aviation industry. He was people oriented and like to help others, no matter which part of the country you came from and which religion you profess. We were together for a very long time. Sometimes we would take a flight together to visit Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, his former boss. I miss him dearly and you need to see the people he was supporting before he died. I do not know how they will manage now,” he said.

Another colleague and friend of the late Captain Iyal, who is the Managing Director, Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, said, “Captain Shehu Usman Iyal was a very accommodating man. His philosophy was, ‘No need to be tagged a rich man. Better to always have food, shelter, clothes and time to share with friends than to be a rich man.’ Shehu Iyal was a good listener and always willing to advise and offer assistance.