Leadership (Abuja)
Jerry Uwah
13 May 2008
column
Abuja — British Airways cuts the image of a lawless, racist airline. Ironically, its lawlessness begins and ends with its treatment of Nigeria and Nigerians because Nigeria itself is a lawless country run by men who do not care a hoot about what treatment foreigners met out to their subjects. The BA crew involved in the ugly incident of March 27, 2008, where 136 Nigerian passengers were ordered out of the airline's plane are quoted as telling their victims that nothing would happen. They apparently were speaking from a position of strength given their experience in the past.
They would have recalled the fact that when Spanish immigration officials murdered a Nigerian in a brutal deportation process, it was the mass protest organised by Nigerian human rights organisations –not the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – that compelled the government of Spain to even investigate the matter. In fact, at a crowded press briefing on the incident, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent most of his time and energy listing the sins of the deceased deportee which, in his opinion, justified the high handedness of the Spanish immigration officials. He did not care to chase away the hawk before blaming the chicken.
In Nigeria, BA does just about anything because anything goes in the land. Sometime in 2006, BA was so defiant of the regulatory authorities of the Nigerian aviation industry that for several days, it over-shot its flight frequency on the London-Lagos route despite repeated warnings from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The act of lawlessness was only halted when NCAA compelled BA to fly an empty plane back to London. Sometime in the early 1990s, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the late Abdulkadir Ahmed, bought a first class return ticket of BA for a trip to London with members of his family.
On the return leg of the journey, BA downgraded the ticket to economy class without recourse to the august Nigerian traveler whose duty it was at the time to authorise the foreign currency remittance of the racist airline's loot in Nigeria to Britain. When the CBN governor protested, the explanation from BA was that his ticket was paid in naira and that the airline had to give priority to passengers with foreign currency denominated tickets. Ahmed lost. The CBN governor was so frustrated by the treatment of BA staff that as soon as he returned to Nigeria, he demanded a position paper from the management of Nigeria Airways on how to resuscitate the flagging national flag carrier as a way of calling the bluff of the foreign airline.
BA has notoriety for discriminatory treatment of Nigerian passengers. Its ingrained act of disdain and crass racism culminated in the show of shame at Heathrow Airport Terminal-4 on March 27, 2008 when the airline bared its fangs on defenceless Nigerian passengers. For a recap of the ugly incident, I would like to quote the account of the incident published by The Mirror, a leading British newspaper: "A British Airways captain ordered 136 passengers off his plane in chaotic scenes after they all started complaining to cabin crew. As the flight waited to take off at Heathrow the row was sparked by the restraint of a man being forcibly deported. Many were distressed by his pitiful cries of "I go die" and one passenger, Ayodeji Omotade, 39, spoke up on his behalf. The deportee was taken off the Lagos-bound jet by immigration staff and police. But five officers returned and arrested Mr. Omotade.
"This outraged the other 135 passengers in the economy class section and they complained to cabin crew. Amid riotous scenes in the aisles, 20 police officers boarded to calm everything down. Then the BA pilot took the extraordinary decision to boot off everyone who had witnessed the arrest of Mr. Omotade, an IT consultant from Chatham, Kent. The captain took the view they were all guilty of disturbing the flight, although no more passengers were arrested. After the economy class section was virtually cleared, the deportee, aged about 30, was brought back on and the flight left."
That is the story from The Mirror. More than one month after the contemptuous treatment of Nigerian passengers by obdurate BA crew members, the airline has only managed to push out a dispassionate statement through a media consultant labouring to justify its uncivilised behaviour while distancing itself from the highhandedness of London police. As usual, BA remains recalcitrant, impenitent and bullish. President Umar Yar'Adua from his sick bed in Germany ordered the Ministry of Transportation to investigate the incident. NCAA responded to the directive by summoning BA officials in Nigeria to its office. On the day the airline grudgingly honoured the directive by NCAA to explain its 15th century gunboat business tactics, none of its European staff in Nigeria showed up for the meeting.
BA's primitive treatment of Nigerian passengers stems from the fact that Nigerians have nothing to fall back on in terms of a national carrier. Virgin Nigeria, the airline contemptuously flying Nigerian flag on a predominantly foreign logo, is unfortunately a British airline with the toga of a national carrier. Its equity structure makes it something of a boxer taken into the ring with two hands tied to the back. It is bound to fail and it is sliding precipitously. Recently, it added yet another chapter to its string of air returns which has taken its safety record perilously close to that of Korean Airlines of the 1980s. The following is an unedited account of a passenger in one of its flights who signed his e-mail message to me as Momodu: "On Friday 2nd May, Virgin Nigeria scheduled to fly Lagos-Accra-Dakar took off but could not land after 40 minutes in Accra and had to return to Nigeria. Passengers were off-loaded and flight rescheduled for Saturday 3rd May night. Flight took off after long delay and landed in Accra but could not continue to Dakar. Passengers were offloaded and plane returned to Lagos for exchange after a long delay. Flight eventually returned and took off to land in Dakar on Sunday morning. Even
if na road! This latest can be confirmed from Virgin Nigeria. Who will save Nigerians from this virgin contraption???" Momodu was reacting to my column last week entitled "Saving Nigeria from Virgin Nigeria". Virgin Nigeria, as presently constituted, cannot help Nigerian air travelers to call the bluff of British Airways. The crew of BA has this fact at their finger tips and the arrogance in them tells them that Nigerians could be kicked around with impunity. The airline cannot treat Kenyans or Ethiopians the way it treated Nigerians on that day because the two African countries, though impoverished, boast of reputable airlines as flag carrier.
Until Nigeria establishes a national carrier of its own, the event of March 28 would continue to repeat itself. The other factor behind the shabby treatment of Nigerians by foreign airlines and BA in particular, is the common knowledge that the Nigerian aviation industry lacks a proactive consumer protection outfit. The NCCA has such a unit, but it is something of a toothless bulldog. BA has tested the potency of the consumer protection unit of NCAA and probably found it wanting in terms of the capacity to bark and bite.
That probably explains the remark by the crew that 'nothing would happen'. And as a matter of fact, one month has rolled by and nothing has happened. The deadline that NCAA gave BA to feed it with plans to compensate the humiliated passengers has come and gone without the airline uttering a word. Harold Demuren, the respected director-general of NCAA told me in a telephone interview last week that his agency had investigated the matter and made its recommendations to the Federal Government on the issue. He insisted that the Federal Government is pursuing the matter at the highest level and that BA would have to pay compensation for its shabby treatment of Nigerian passengers.
Demuren is a man of integrity and I have no reason to doubt his statement. My worry, however, is that given its heavy connection in the corridors of power, BA may end up with a slap on the wrist for the crime against Nigeria and Nigerians. The truth is that Nigeria is already sending the wrong signals to the British on the matter. Ojo Maduekwe, the minister of foreign affairs recently had a meeting with Bob Dewar, the new British High Commissioner in Nigeria on the issue and spent most of the time pontificating on the need to maintain the friendship between Nigeria and Britain. That in my opinion is a very docile response to the kind of treatment British Airways meted out to Nigerians.
In fact, I expected someone to impound the aircraft that operated the flight which Nigerian passengers were barred from boarding. That is the only language that BA understands. But then, the Nigerian High Commission was in its typical behaviour, too slow to brief the home government on the gravity of what happened on March 27. In the final analysis, the encounter with BA should teach Nigeria a lesson on the need to codify air passengers' rights and get them passed into law by the National Assembly. Right now, even as everybody is vehemently indignant with BA, the nation's aviation industry is not on solid legal ground to pursue the right of the humiliated passengers because they are not codified.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
I couldn't agree with you more. I sit here reading this article yet unable to understand why we must continue to project this image about ourselves to the entire world. We need to understand that none of those other nations we admire and strive to be like got to where they are by being docile about issues that affected them. We have tried our government sevral times and realized that little will be done from that end regarding any issue on general citizens' concern. Hence we must start talking to ourselves on how to get things done by affirmative actions. Democracy is govenrment of the people, for the people and BY TTHE PEOPLE. If change will not come from lawmakers who seem to think they are still under still under colonial era hence their attitude of "lets keep mum" then change must come from the masses. NIGERIANS SHOULD START SPEAKING UP FOR THEMSELVES AND WE CAN USE THIS AS AN EXAMPLE BY BOYCOTTING BA AND SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE WORLD THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
I couldn't agree with you more as well, Waiting for the Gov. for what? the treat this other so called nations nicely because they are dumbs, this other nations subject to them for anything goes but we won't be like them, so let the pple take actions into their hands without no Gov intervention and that should be the right way to fight back. I know BA would not like that kind of action cos they know who, what and how we are, and if they still feel or think what will happen then let's show them WHAT CAN HAPPEN! by the way who is BA to mess with NIGERIANS, let us all stop the patronage, coupled to the few listed Airlines, Emirates from the Mis East would be willing to replace them and not to compete because BA knows Emirates Airlines are too much for them to compete with a mere BA, they may be long existing but their the long existing bullshit has come to a stop from today onwards. BA should know that when Nigerians stops patronage, the whole world is stopping as well if they need a proof, they should check their YTD income to the previous. Plus its just too easy, its a matter of Question and answer (What do you think of BA? Ans: You don't wanna try-rather go by leg) BA should be BANNED for life!
It is sad to know that the giant of Africa does not have a national flag carrier flight. It is truly a shame to see how uncaring and selfish our leaders are. I for one do not and will not use BA ever again. I used it once, in 1990, their service and treatment of Africans especially Nigerian was horrendous and that was good enough for me. No more freaking BA. I'll go KLM anytime, any day. I am even skeptical of Virgin Atlantic and do not use them as well. Using them twice is good enough, even though they are much bettehr than BA. Yes I support people taking laws into their own hands and boycotting BA completely. The government will only think of themselves and not fend for its citizens. All those hard earned Nigerian money going to BA should be diverted to other carriers like KLM, Kenyan Airways, Ethiopian Airways and even Ghana Airways. But then again why should we use other nations air plane when Nigeria can have its own. Isn't it completely stupid to give your money to someone else? And make them rich while you are getting poorer? Why can't our money hungry- foolish-stupid and idiotic government do something, instead of just always thinking about making themselves rich overnight.
I am really sad about this issue,i do not aggree with those who say that it is not the problem of the government.I am strongly advocating for this country Nigeria to end every relationship with the british people because the problem we have today is from the british and they are not sorry for their mistakes.Migeria has suffered so many untold hardship from the british and i dont see why Nigerians are still doing something with anything british.It is very unfortunate that we do not have a government that knows what it means to protect her citizens,it is also very unfortunate that these fools that call themselves goverment officials have nothing to do but to worship these dirty things that call themselves british.Time has come for we Nigerians all over the world to stand up and defend ourselves.I am advocating that british air ways must be banned from coming to nigeria,and i believe nothing will happen.Nigerians, our future is in our hands let us stand up and defend it.We should not wait for those fools that call themselves government officials to do anything for us because they do not know their right from their left,they are ,more or less not qualified for the post they are holding,i mean from the president to the last man on the seat.
Jerry, this is a great stuff. This disrespect for Nigerians by the British Airways must have severe consequences. All the suggestions made are good enough but the most effective is to teach the BA that "the customer is always right" and that Nigerians are no exception to this marketing rule. The way to handle this issue effectively is to start right away through all available propanganda means: word of mouth, chatrooms, more editorials like Jerry`s, even cartoons of the BA as a racist monster. In doing this we should get everyone who cares involved including other Africans, because this is the only sure way to earn ourselves the respect which the British does not give us. I would be glad if Jerry or another columnist will keep track of any progress in this recent issue and the effect of any measures that we Nigerians (not the rogues in government)are taking against the BA.
If the Nigerian government join the bandwagon to call for the boycott of BA it could be considered as a hostile act capable of hampering intergovernmental relationship. The Government can saliently support her citizens like someone suggested by opening the door for other Service Providers to complete the Nigeria route. I could not agree more with everyone that enough is enough and the only language to regain our respect from not only the British Airways but the British Government as well is to hit them where it hurts most the pocket. Yes, Boycott is the way to go people.
Nigerians arise,from that deep sleep induced by succesive inept and wayward leadership that has reduced us to nervous wrecks, even when it comes to fighting for our rights.The saying goes that when a person wakes up that is daybreak.It has been long and painful(treatment from the rasist west)but we will overcome it.They don,t like us, don,t respect us and would have nothing to do with us unless of course if they have seen something they can steal,it,s been so for more than 5 hundred years,and surely it won,t continue forever.We will overcome,dry bones shall live again.
See all comments (14).
Dear Jerry - here is one economic suggestion that have been tested in the other parts of the world, including Britain and it brought some quick actions. NIGERIANS MUST BOYCOTT BRITISH AIRWAYS IMMEDIATELY. Remember the British Airways is not flying Lagos, Abuja and Kano routes on humanitarian bases. Let it be known that BA is making huge profits or else it would have long gone. The Nigerian Government should not get involve in something like this - the Nigerian citizens who have been spending their hard earned Naira on British Airways must set the stage. Jerry, use your column in the Abuja Leadership to initiate the campaign. Remember, most airlines are struggling now because of the high cost of fuel and Nigeria passengers must at this time make The British Airways feel the impact of their actions by not patronising it. Lets see how long BA can carry only their arrongant pilots & crews from Britain to Nigeria. On the other hand, since Nigeria Government is not capable of managing its own airline; it should open the Nigeria routes for other airlines to compete with British Airways. Nigeria travellers must learn to get value for their money by travelling with reputable Airlines, such as KLM, Delta, Continental, North West Airline and others. Nigerians have had enough of the British Airways irresponsible and inhumane treatments.