- By Mike Kebonkwu
Two seemingly ugly incidents occurred recently in our aviation industry that drew negative press and publicity, both avoidable. One involved a celebrity, an fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (aka KWAM 1) who was involved in a bitter altercation while trying to board ValueJet flight at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He had refused to submit for examination, the content of a vacuum flask he was holding like a totem in a primitive display of power and influence as a celebrity of sort. He was going to block the flight like King Kong to stop it from taking off which could have led to fatality. The bad tempered pilot of the aircraft also taxied off without caring a hoot about the consequences. The pilot had her operating licence suspended.
The minister of aviation also in swift reaction slammed the musician with six months flying ban. No investigation, no official inquiry, nothing! Is that what the law or rule says? One wonders where the minister got the power which was quite impulsive and arbitrary deployment of official power. Everything appears to be wrong with the aviation industry in Nigeria!
What about the arbitrary and prohibitive fare Nigerian passengers are sentenced to? Nigeria should command the hub of aviation traffic in the industry as people have been driven out of the roads by insecurity. However, it is beyond the reach of the poor masses that have to face bandits and kidnappers daily on the road and pay heavy price for that also.
Lo and behold, we hear that Kwam 1 has been rewarded as brand ambassador of the aviation industry. Can you beat that, for someone whose action is synonymous with lawlessness to wear the face of the aviation industry security protocol that he defied and denigrated! Typical elite reward system; a despicable denigration of public decency and rule of etiquette.
We are not to wait for long before the sister case was re-enacted at the Ibom Air, this time in the cabin while landing at the Lagos airport.
It involved a relatively unknown passenger, a certain Comfort Emmanson who had disagreement with a hostess over turning off phone. It was a most uncultured display of incivility and lack of professionalism of the cabin crew in handling the whole business. There was questionable behaviour of the passenger which did not show much of proper upbringing. She was almost stripped to her panties. Such treatment was inexcusable and should be deprecated with odium. She was wheeled straight to Kirikiri correctional facility in Lagos with a procured order from a magistrate. Again, she has since landed brand endorsement to many companies earning immediate celebrity status and mega bucks.
To be sure, these are not just two isolated incidents of such ugly character. Not too long ago, a senator and two time governor of Edo State and former labour leader was embroiled in a similar incident over an alleged late arrival, after boarding had closed.
Read Also: Fake postinor-2 hits market, NAFDAC warns
The problem is not exactly about law and order or respect for operational rules of airlines for safety of passengers; it is a little bit of all and especially about the moral bankruptcy of the society. A responsible person and a gentleman ought to have respect for time and schedule. You are not to keep people waiting because you have political power or that you are rich. You need not patronize public utility as you can as well use your private jet where no one will be inconvenienced by your sense of entitlement with no respect for time.
The incidents in the aviation industry are part of the larger societal problem. The airlines are guilty, the regulators are guilty, the passengers are equally guilty and our country is carrying the moral burden like the mark of the beast.
What is the standard and operating procedure for airline passengers on sitting arrangement, safety and use of cell phones in-flight? The airlines themselves often time display acute lack of order when they will issue you boarding pass with seat number and only to be told in the cabin that it is free sitting. Then why issue boarding pass with seat number? On regulation of using cell phone, what is the permissible rule; put it on flight mode or switch it off for the duration of the flight? It is certainly not too much for one to put off his or her phone for a flight that is just about one hour. People just want to attract unnecessary attention to the phone they are using to show off, but who really cares, pressing phone!
The airlineswill do well to give the cabin crew adequate training to relate nicely with passengers. It has become the case of take the monkey from the bush but you cannot take the bush away from the monkey! The street rule and the rule of airline passengers certainly cannot be the same and do not meet.
The treatment meted on Ms Comfort in the cabin on the aircraft was everything but professional. This however did not make up for the obvious character deficit and lack of good manners clearly displayed by her. The situation could have been better managed than what was beamed to the world on social media. However, there was a good lesson also in the whole ugly drama; if only to serve as bad example on how not to behave in public and how not to manage social misfits in public space.
All the lawyers in Nigeria may choose to file actions in court on behalf of Ms Emmanson; all the gender rights activists may choose to wear orange vests in protest but the moral compass of public decency cannot absolve Emmanson as a victim. Her endorsements as brand ambassador are nothing but celebration of mediocrity, elites’ perversion, and moral bankruptcy of the society.
The reaction of people was almost with unanimity in condemnation at the exposed boobs of the damsel whose apparel was torn in a fit of rage in public altercation and being dragged from an aircraft. That is the society we are living in; everything is in topsy-turvy. These incidents show the face of Nigeria to the public; no standard, no rules, brash and rascality pays and we celebrate moral bankruptcy. The government rewarded KWAM1 while the public celebrate Ms Comfort with endorsement and as brand ambassador. The airline has to sulk in badly trained staff and public scrutiny while the industry is worse off! Bad manners pay?
•Kebonkwu Esq is an Abuja-based attorney. He writes via mikekebonkwu@yahoo.com
