An 18-year-old girl, Favour Felix Chinecherem, from Enugu State, has emerged winner of the 2026 Southeast Aviation Summit/Eastwing Youth Competition, earning a scholarship to study Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Eastwing Aviation Institute.

Chinecherem emerged from a stiff competition involving young people from different states in the Southeast at the SASEYC 2.0 grand finale held recently at Bon Hotel Platinum, Enugu.

The competition, organised by the Eastwing Youth Foundation and Eastwing Aviation Institute, was held under the theme, ‘Advancing Youth Potentials Through Aviation Innovation & Excellence,’ with the summit bringing together young people, aviation professionals, educators, business leaders and other stakeholders.

Speaking after the event, the Convener, Christian Agadibe, described the competition as a strong contest among youths from across the region.

“It was a stiff competition among the Southeast youth from different states, and Favour emerged through her confidence, passion and determination,” he said.

The new winner’s emergence was one of the emotional highlights of the event. In her remarks, Chinecherem spoke about feeling intimidated by some of the other contestants but said she was able to overcome her fears and remain focused on the competition.

“I came, I saw, and I conquered,” she said.

Her victory attracted further support from guests at the event, with some dignitaries pledging to support her development and the broader youth training initiative. One of the award recipients also pledged to train three young people at Eastwing Aviation Institute.

The event attracted dignitaries from different sectors, including Dr. Ibrahim Bello Bashir, Rector of Federal Polytechnic Damaturu; Dr. Emelu Chidi, a former General Manager of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency; Chukwuma Ephraim Okenwa, Chief Executive Officer of Queen’s Model Schools, Enugu, among other industry stakeholders.

The programme featured keynote and special addresses, youth development awards, partner recognition, presentation of certificates to participants and the SASEYC 2.0 Aviation Scholarship Award.

SASEYC is designed to expose young people to opportunities in aviation, tourism, hospitality and related fields while connecting them with professionals and practical training pathways.

The initiative builds on the first edition in 2025, which produced Uyammadu Franklin as its winner. Franklin received a scholarship to study Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and is now pursuing the programme, with the organisers using his progress as an example of the opportunities the competition is designed to create for young people.

The 2026 event ended with entertainment, networking and further recognition of participants, partners and supporters, with organisers reaffirming their focus on creating practical pathways for young people interested in aviation and related industries.