Nigeria, April 6 -- PT: How many years did you spend flying airplanes before you went into airline management?

OKON: I started, let's say. 1976 because when I was flying for Mobil, it was a corporate aviation, still a commercial flight. And then I did that until 1983. So, as you rise in the rank, you need to be given responsibilities. So I became a captain and within the year or the year after that I became a fleet captain. A fleet Captain is a managerial position.

PT: It appears most Nigerian pilots have their roots in the defunct Nigeria Airways?

OKON: Yes, most of us came from Nigeria Airways. Say 90 per cent of us. There were a few others that came from outside, they trained themselves in the United States or in the UK and then cam...