By Amos Jeremiah
Capt. Wisdom Effiong Isangadighi is a Nigerian aviation professional whose career has included commercial flying, aviation safety, pilot training, fleet management and airline operations.
His aviation career began in 2009 with flight school, while he started flying in 2012. Since then, he has worked across different areas of commercial aviation, including flight operations, safety management, pilot training, fleet administration and airline operations.
He currently serves as Director of Operations at Enugu Air, where his responsibilities include overseeing flight operations, safety, regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. He also acts as a liaison with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on audits, inspections and regulatory matters.
Isangadighi began his commercial aviation career as a First Officer in April 2014, operating turboprop aircraft. He later worked as an internal auditor, safety manager, deputy chief pilot and captain at Overland Airways.
As an internal auditor, he received specialised training from the International Air Transport Association and conducted audits covering compliance with Civil Aviation Authority regulations and International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit standards.
His work as safety manager at Overland Airways involved identifying and analysing hazards and developing measures to reduce them. This work contributed to the airline’s safety management efforts through proactive hazard identification and mitigation.
He subsequently worked as a captain with StarBow Airline Ghana before joining Air Peace. At Air Peace, he flew the E135/145/Legacy aircraft, as well as the E190-E1 and the state-of-the-art E195-E2, which is a separate aircraft type rating. He also served as a Training Captain, conducting training operations for the airline’s Embraer fleet.
From May 2025 to February 2026, he served as Fleet Manager and Line Training Captain for the E170/190/195 fleet with XeJet/Enugu Air. His responsibilities included fleet management and pilot training.
He has more than 11,000 hours of flight time. The aircraft listed in his experience include the ATR 75, ERJ145 and Embraer E170/190/195 series. He has 3,520 hours on the ATR 75, 3,729 hours on the ERJ145 and 1,100 hours on the E170/190/195, among other flight hours.
Education has also featured prominently in his career. In May 2025, he completed a Doctor of Business Administration in Business Administration at the Atlanta University of Business and Social Sciences in Atlanta, United States.
In May 2024, he obtained a Master of Philosophy in Entrepreneurship Management from Selinus University of Sciences and Literature in Italy. His thesis was selected as the best in his department and is available on the university’s website.
He also completed a PhD in Executive Leadership at Selinus University of Sciences and Literature in May 2024. His dissertation was titled “Negative Leadership and its effects on the organization”.
His other listed academic qualifications include a Master of Social Science and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the School of Business and Trade.
He also holds an Honorary Professor of Business Administration designation from the American University of Business and Social Sciences (AUBSS).
His professional education includes diplomas in Train the Trainer, Conflict Resolution, Transport Management and Project Management. He has also completed courses in ISO 19011 Lead Auditor training, Safety Management Systems, Aviation Management and Operations, Airport Operations Management, Airline Management, Fleet and Route Planning, Risk Management and Essential Management Skills.
Since June 2026, Isangadighi has also worked with Dutch Aviation Trainers as a Type Rating Instructor. His responsibilities include aircraft type-rating training, simulator instruction and pilot assessments.
Alongside his aviation work, he has written books and papers on leadership, management and personal development. His listed publications include Leading With Heart, The Power of Focus and Discipline: Achieving Your Dreams Through Discipline and Beyond The Noise: A Journey To Inner Peace.
His academic interests have also included the relationship between leadership and organisational performance. Among his listed papers are The Dark Side of Leadership: Unraveling the Impact of Negative Leadership, The Synergy between Leadership and Operations Management, Managerial Yes-Men: The Hidden Threat to Organizational Effectiveness and AI-Augmented Leadership: Enhancing Human Decision-Making.
One of his publications is titled Cockpit to Boardroom: A Pilot’s Guide to Strategic Leadership, linking his experience in aviation with his work on management and leadership.
He also holds several professional distinctions, including Certified Management Consultant, Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, Fellow of the Centre for Public Service Productivity and Development, Distinguished Fellow of the African Institute of Public Administration, Certified Management Professional and Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Production Management.
He holds an honorary degree from Theophany University in Haiti, the Global Excellence Business Leaders Award from the Honor Crest Institute in Canada, and the designation of Professor of Practice in Aviation Management at EIEAS.
Isangadighi’s career has therefore combined commercial flight operations with safety management, pilot training, fleet administration and executive responsibility. His academic work has focused on business, entrepreneurship and executive leadership, while his publications have addressed leadership and organisational management
