Meet Captain Oluranti Ogoyi: the Valuejet pilot at the centre of the KWAM1 airport drama
Until this week, Captain Oluranti Ogoyi was best known in aviation circles as a skilled pilot with over a decade of flying experience. Today, her name is making headlines far beyond the runway — after a heated boarding dispute with fuji maestro King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal snowballed into one of Nigeria’s most talked-about airport incidents.
Read also: No one is above the law: A call for accountability in the KWAM 1 airport incident
The drama unfolded at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja when KWAM1 attempted to board a ValueJet flight carrying a thermoflask. Aviation rules prohibit passengers from taking liquids above 100ml through security, and when the crew insisted the flask could not be allowed onboard, tempers flared. Eyewitnesses claim the musician became agitated and, in the chaos, spilled some of the contents on a ground staff member.
It was then that Ogoyi, in command of the flight alongside First Officer Ivan Iloba, intervened. Citing security concerns, she ordered the aircraft door shut, barring the musician from boarding. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has since suspended both pilots’ licences, while also banning K1 from flying with Nigerian carriers for six months.
Read also: ValueJet Incident: Keyamo threatens to ban any airline that flies KWAM1
For Ogoyi, aviation is more than a career — it’s a calling. Born Oluranti Ogunwale, she is the daughter of former senator Felix Kola Ogunwale, who represented Osun Central between 2003 and 2007. She began her career at Arik Air, steadily working her way up the cockpit ladder. In September 2021, after years as a first officer, she earned her captain’s stripes in a ceremony led by Arik’s top brass, including current NCAA boss Captain Chris Najomo.
Friends know her by her affectionate nickname “Rantilicious” — a playful contrast to her often serious professional persona. She is married to fellow pilot Isaac Ogoyi Jr, whose own career has taken him from Arik Air to RwandAir and now Uganda Airlines.
Read also: KWAM1 apologises for ValueJet incident, denies carrying alcohol
After joining ValueJet a few years ago, Ogoyi quickly established herself as a trusted captain. But the events of Wednesday have left her career at a crossroads, with observers debating whether her actions reflected firm adherence to safety rules or an overreach in judgement.
Whatever the outcome of the NCAA investigation, one thing is certain: Ogoyi’s name is now etched in both Nigerian aviation history and public conversation.
