There are countless stories of Nigerians making their mark around the world. Every now and then, however, you come across one that reminds you how deeply Nigeria can shape a person’s life—even when that person ultimately builds their career thousands of miles away.
This week, I had the privilege of touring Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in South Florida. If you spend any time around business aviation in the United States, Banyan is a name you quickly come to know. It is one of America’s premier fixed-base operators (FBOs), providing aircraft maintenance, avionics, charter support, fueling, hangar facilities, aircraft sales, flight support, and concierge services for corporate and private aviation. Its Pilot Shop is widely regarded as the largest brick-and-mortar pilot store in the world, and the company has consistently been recognized as one of the finest FBOs in North America for customer service and technical excellence.
What many people in South Florida do not realize, however, is that one of the region’s greatest aviation success stories has its roots firmly planted in rural Nigeria.
Banyan’s founder and CEO, Don Campion, was born and raised in Egbe, in present-day Kogi State. His parents, Dr. George and Esther Campion, were pioneering medical missionaries who established ECWA Hospital Egbe in 1952, creating what would become one of the most important medical institutions serving rural communities across central Nigeria. Don spent his childhood in Egbe, attended boarding school in Jos—often flying aboard small missionary aircraft to get there—and eventually left Nigeria for aviation studies in Canada before moving to South Florida in 1979.
