Captain Mohammed Joji takes a bow ......Tributes pour in

Captain Mohammed Joji takes a bow 

......Tributes pour in 

The sun set a few days ago for one of aviation industry's  vocal voices : Captain Mohammed Joji.

Joji, former Managing Directior of defunct Nigeria Airways Limited , bestrode the aviation landscape like a collosus. 

He was owner of Skypower Express Airlines . Joji navigated the aviation path , never bothered about its inherent turbulence and controversies.

Besides, Joji was a strong voice in the umbrella body of local carriers : the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON).

Torrents of tributes have been pouring in concerning Joji's passing.

Industry think tank : Aviation Satefy RoundTable Initiative ( ASRTI), has taken the lead.

This is in memory of Joji :   

"The Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative of Nigeria (ASRTI) received with deep sadness the news of Captain Mohammed Joji’s passing yesterday evening. The announcement came shortly after members had concluded the LAAC meeting, where he had been remembered warmly in private conversations among colleagues and friends. The timing carried a quiet poignancy — the industry reflecting on its journey while one of its long‑standing figures took his final leave.

Captain Joji’s life was defined by aviation. Trained in Hamble, England and at Perth Air Training School in Scotland, he built a career that spanned continents and decades. He served with British Airways for twelve years as an Aero‑Electronics Engineering Manager before returning home to contribute to Nigeria’s aviation development.

His tenure as Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria Airways Limited (1992–1994) remains one of the most scrutinized periods in the airline’s history. The Nwazota Judicial Commission later cited him among those whose decisions contributed to the carrier’s decline. This record forms part of the documented history of Nigeria Airways and stands as a reminder of the complexities that shaped the national carrier’s final years.

Yet Captain Joji’s story did not end with that chapter.

Rather than withdraw from the industry, he devoted the next three decades to aviation operations, advocacy, and reform. He founded and led Skypower Express Airways, one of Nigeria’s longest‑standing indigenous operators. He served as Secretary‑General of the Aircraft Operators of Nigeria (AON) and later as a respected elder on its Board of Trustees. His voice — direct, informed, and often uncompromising — remained a constant presence in industry discourse.

He also contributed to national aviation rehabilitation efforts as part of the Presidential Task Force for the Aviation Sector, participating in the modernization of airports, air navigation systems, meteorological infrastructure, and regulatory oversight. His involvement in these reforms helped strengthen Nigeria’s safety framework and align the sector more closely with international standards.

Captain Joji was a man of strong convictions. He believed aviation demanded discipline, structure, and integrity, and he lived by those principles. His legacy is layered — marked by early controversy, sustained engagement, and a long arc of service that continued until his final days.

The news of his passing, arriving after a day in which friends had shared memories of him, struck the community with particular force. It felt as though the industry had unknowingly gathered to close his chapter together.

Today, ASRTI joins the aviation community in mourning a figure whose influence, in all its complexity, helped shape the trajectory of Nigerian aviation. His life reminds us that legacies are rarely simple, but they are always instructive.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, and all who shared the skies and the struggle of aviation with him.

May Captain Mohammed Joji rest in peace.

May his contributions — the lessons, the debates, the reforms, and the courage — endure in the memory of the industry he served."