Punches between Air Peace and Isa Bayero taken too far

The incident that happened last week between Air Peace and the revered Emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero is one of the abnormalities customers are forced to suffer in the Nigerian aviation sector. It is a case of two rights do not make a wrong, and equally, two wrongs cannot make a right.

What really happened? The Emir was on his way from Banjul to Kano through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. He was to land in Lagos and connect a 6:15 am (Air Peace) first flight to Kano. But the traditional ruler’s flight from Banjul was delayed by one hour by the same airline from Banjul.

Prince Isa Bayero, the protocol officer to the emir, who also doubles as his cousin, made a contact with Air Peace boss Allen Onyema for the flight in Lagos to be delayed by one hour as they already booked for eight or ten seats, including four business class. Air Peace rejected the demand because they can’t afford to keep other passengers who are already seated in the aircraft waiting for one hour because they want to protect the image of the emir and that of the company, and instead offered some solutions which include flight to Abuja and then a connected flight to Kano at no cost.

Prince Bayero got angry and turned the whole matter to a ‘fight’, arguing that since it was the same Air Peace that delayed their flight from Banjul, they should be able to delay the Lagos-Kano flight for one hour for the emir of Kano. Long story short, the flight took off without waiting, and that has led to many unsavoury exchanges.

I understand the angle Isa Bayero was coming from, this is not a time any customer would want any airline to mess with their flight schedule. The ticket price has just been increased by more than 70% the usual amount and everyone is still feeling pained because they’ve not come to terms with the latest biting development. I clearly get it.

The other day, I wrote on my Twitter handle that I hope the sudden annoying increase in flight tickets will bring an end to flight delays and cancellations? I know many customers are just waiting by the side to get disappointed by any airline, and we will see the venting from the bottom of their stomachs. Some will even go to court to press charges. It is their right to do so. Everyone must have value for the goods and services they pay for.

That is what played out from the angle of Isa Bayero. Many people may think that the emir is wealthy and should be able to afford any fare, but the truth is nobody is happy when the price of goods or services is increased. The rich, the middle class, the poor, nobody likes it, let alone when they don’t get value for money.

Unfortunately, Air Peace is the first to fall victim to this unpleasant price increase, and they’re feeling it hot as expected.

Having said that, it is worthy of note that nobody is Nigerian more than the other. While Isa Bayero may have taken the right step by writing a complaint to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), his subsequent statements have been one that is not necessary and taken too far, except of course if there is something else he is not telling us.

The statement issued by Prince Bayero at the weekend sounded like he owns Nigeria. I could see the big sense of entitlement. He even issued a threat and not just requested Air Peace to tender an apology in a national newspaper, but their boss, Onyema, must travel down to the emir’s palace in Kano to personally apologise face to face to the emir.

This is a demand taken too far and I am sure Isa Bayero is acting out of his own personal capacity fuelled by people he surrounds himself with. I believe the emir himself will not make such demands as he is widely respected and more so, he is mature enough to understand how business works and how issues can be resolved.

Prince Bayero must know that it doesn’t make business sense to delay a flight, already loaded and ready to take off, for passengers who did not show up at the time of boarding. What happens to the customers who left their homes and hotels as early as 5 am just to catch their flight to Kano? Some customers may even sleep at the airport just to make sure they did not miss their flight. Some passengers may be resuming work by 8am in Kano, some will have a business to catch up with, and you want all these people to suffer losses because of you?

Prince Isa Bayero’s careless statement, with a touch of threat, knowing fully well how volatile the city of Kano is, only depicts arrogance and total disregard for human lives and safety. He is blindfolded by his selfish interest and his puffed-up entitled position as the chief protocol officer to the emir.

Is he trying to stop Air Peace from operating in Kano? Is he attempting to discourage customers from patronising the airline? Or is he simply trying to incite violence against staff and operators of the airline? I really do not know what his motives are.

How can you say the incident that happened is not heaped on the emir alone but on the good people of Kano and folding your hands on this could trigger something worse and more ridiculous? How? Was it the people of Kano that went on the trip? When many Nigerians were suffering flight delays and cancellations, was the whole state or region, or country triggered? This careless talk by Isa Bayero must be withdrawn with immediate effect.

This issue is between a customer and a service provider and nothing more. If Prince Bayero is so insensitive to want to cause violence all because the emir missed his flight, the public and good people of Kano must take his words with a pinch of salt.

How was Air Peace sentimental in this case? Must we drag tribalism and religion into everything? The passengers that boarded that flight to Kano, were they all Igbos or just Yorubas? Were Hausas not among them? So where are the sentiments as claimed by the anxious prince? We must learn to handle business issues professionally and leave tribalism, religion, and other sentiments out of them. This way, the country will be a peaceful and habitable place for us all.

Come to think of it, what is new about having a delayed flight in Nigeria? Has it not become the usual anomaly that we all have turned this country into? The country is faulty in every sector and no one of us is excluded from the repercussion. If it has not gotten to you, just enjoy the moment, you will soon be served the right portion.

Or is it not in this same country that minister of state for labour, James Ochili, alongside his wife and son died in a road accident on the Kaduna-Abuja highway? Is it not in Nigeria that Ahmed Gulak, an aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was shot dead in Imo state? Is it not in this same Nigeria that about 20 people were murdered at a burial ceremony at the weekend in Ebenebe, Awka North local government area of Anambra state? Is it not in this same country that ASUU is on strike for the umpteenth time? Are we not living in the same Nigeria where a few people imported contaminated fuel, sell it out to the public, cause damages to vehicles and nobody has been punished? Are we not still suffering the resultant fuel scarcity and price increase for more than three weeks now?

It is the country we have all made for ourselves and we all will take part in the rot, whether rich or poor. You cannot desire a working system, and in the same breath want a lawless society. No way.

Prince Isa should go and calm down and handle the business issue he has with Air Peace internally and leave the people of Kano out of this. Most of the people he is trying to incite have not even boarded a plane their whole life and do not even understand what the problem is. The message they will get is that an Igboman disrespected the emir, and the rest is history.

We do not want that. The world is already on the edge from the war going on in Ukraine, we do not need to cause more trouble. Oga Isa, calm down and resolve this matter amicably with your friend Allen.

Ojoko is a Nigerian journalist and can be reached via [email protected]