Aibangbee presenting the MoU to Shadare while Adeoye looks on
Lagos is about to meet its aviation heroes at the point where millions of journeys begin.
On Monday, 31st August, 2026, the Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame, NAHF, and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding at the headquarters of BASL that will bring the country’s aviation history off the pages of old newspapers and onto a permanent wall at Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2, MMA2.
It was a quiet but significant ceremony. Representing BASL was Gbubemi Vera Aibangbee, Head of Marketing and Creative Services, calm and deliberate in her remarks.
Across the table sat the two men who have chased this dream for years, NAHF Co-Founders Wole Shadare and Gboyega Adeoye. Pens went down, hands were shaken, and with that, a partnership was sealed to jointly host and manage the NAHF Montage.
The Montage is not a trophy cabinet tucked away in an office. It is a wall of honor being installed at MMA2, that will carry the pictures, profiles and citations of distinguished aviators who built Nigeria’s aviation sector from the ground up.
Travelers rushing to catch flights, families seeing loved ones off, young students transiting through Lagos, they will all walk past the faces of the men and women whose courage, discipline and vision kept Nigerian skies open.
For Shadare, an ace aviation journalist of more than 25 years, the moment was personal. He has covered crashes and certifications, policy shifts and airline launches, and he has watched too many industry giants retire into silence.
“For over 25 years I have reported on this sector and seen many heroes retire without recognition,” he said after the signing. “The Nigeria Aviation Hall of Fame is our way of saying thank you while we are still here to clap for them. MMA2 is the perfect gateway to tell these stories to millions of travelers, so that the next generation will know the shoulders on which they stand.”
Adeoye framed it in broader terms. To him, this is about memory and mentorship. “This is about history, values, and inspiring young Nigerians coming into aviation,” he said. “We are proud that Bi-Courtney shares this vision with us. By placing the Montage at MMA2, we are bringing the faces and stories of excellence to the very point where the industry meets the people.”
Aibangbee spoke for the gateway itself. MMA2 handles millions of passengers every year. Soon, those passengers will be greeted not just by flight information screens, but by legacy.
“MMA2 welcomes millions of passengers yearly and now they will also be welcomed by the faces of excellence who laid the foundation for Nigerian aviation. It is truly a win-win,” she noted.
Under the MoU, BASL will provide the space, security and maintenance for the Montage, while NAHF will handle content curation, periodic updates and the induction process that decides whose story gets told next.
The timing is deliberate. Work on the installation is already in progress, and the unveiling is set for Friday, September 4, 2026, at 9:00am at MMA2.
The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, will do the honors. One hour later, the focus will shift to Golfview Hotel, Ikeja, for the main induction ceremony and the launch of NAHF’s maiden publication, Aviation Achievers.
This second edition will induct 18 remarkable aviators. They were not chosen for headlines or politics. The selection was based on decades of service, integrity, leadership, and the quiet, consistent contributions that kept the industry moving through turbulence, regulation changes, and economic downturns. Pilots, engineers, regulators, ground handlers, journalists, and administrators whose names younger workers may not know, but whose work they benefit from daily.
NAHF was conceived as a non-political, non-profit initiative. Its mandate is simple: recognize excellence, document aviation history before it is lost, and create a platform for mentorship. The Montage at MMA2 is the most public expression of that yet, because it takes the story out of boardrooms and into the public.
Aviation Achievers, the journal launching that same Friday, will carry that mission further. It is the brainchild of Shadare and Adeoye, and it is designed to promote hard work, dedication, discipline and professionalism among aviation workers. If the Montage shows who we were, the journal will argue who we must become.
Both organizations called the arrangement a win-win. For BASL, it reinforces MMA2’s identity as more than a terminal, but as a place where Nigerian stories are told. For NAHF, it guarantees visibility and permanence for a project that could easily have remained a dinner and a plaque.
On Friday, cameras will flash, citations will be read, and 18 names will be etched into the Hall of Fame. But the work will not end there. The Montage is designed to grow. New names will be added. Stories will be updated. And every day, as travelers pass through MMA2, they will be reminded that Nigerian aviation was not built by accident. It was built by people.
The press and public are invited to witness it. The unveiling holds at MMA2 by 9:00am, followed by the induction and journal launch at Golfview Hotel, Ikeja, by 10:00am, on Friday, September 4, 2026.
