A Nigerian pilot, Captain Ademilola Odujinrin, would begin next April the first ever solo round the world flight by an African originating and terminating in Africa, a statement said on Thursday.

The project known as Transcend (One Man! One Plane! One World!) is a powered by “the relentless motivation, determination and fearlessness of a group of private sector professionals, whose passion is fueled by vision and ambition”, the organisers said in a statement.

The project aims to inspire Africa’s teeming population to begin to conceive a world without borders, with unbridled dreams, beyond expectations, to transform the African narrative whilst shattering all stereotypes.

The first initiative of the Transcend project kicks off in April 2016 with the first ever solo round the world flight by an African originating and terminating in Africa. This historic flight will be piloted by Mr Ademilola Odujinrin.

THE PILOT

Lola as he is fondly called by his friends, is the type of guy you could call an audacious adventurer. In 2010, Lola cycled some 3200km from Morocco (Africa) to London (England) in just 17days. Lola’s interest in flying developed from a very young age. As a 7 year old, Lola would accompany his uncle who was a commercial pilot on his many trips at a time when sitting in the cockpit was not an ‘’issue’’. This experience grew into a desire by a young Lola to fly around the world.  In 1999, Lola obtained his Private Pilot License (PPL) and went on to take part in aerobatic flights and air races one of which lead him to taking part in his first air-race, TheKing’s Cup Race. The King’s Cup Race is an annual British handicapped cross-country air race, which was first contested in 1922 as an incentive to develop the light aircraft and engine design sector.  The 810 mile contest was only open to British pilots which included members of the commonwealth. Despite successful years as a Finance professional in the corporate world, Lola never gave up on his ‘’Sky-High’’ dreams. In 2010, he qualified as a commercial pilot and went on to fly professionally as an airline pilot both on long and short haul journeys and has now clocked up to 4000 flying hours.

This will be Africa’s very first solo flight around the world, starting and finishing in Nigeria – the continent’s most populous country. It is an unrivalled visionary expedition set to demonstrate the potential capabilities of Africa and its people to achieve extraordinary feats. The choice of Nigeria as the launch pad for the Transcend Project is based on Nigeria’s unique potential to lead Africa into a new era of global recognition for notable achievements.