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The Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, APC, Edo North, has said that he never disrupted the operations of AirPeace as alleged, saying that he was pained that poor Nigerians were being extorted by the Airline.
The former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said that what happened was that he rejected preferential treatment and stood up against what he described as systemic extortion and poor customer service by Nigerian airlines.
According, to him, if he had allowed the operators to address his problem as they suggested, he would have entered the plane, saying that he waited to resist a situation where Nigerians who are not in high places are duly dealt with, just as he vowed that these systemic extortions in the country must be nipped in the bud.
Addressing Journalists yesterday in Abuja, the former Edo State Governor noted his recent experiences with Air Peace highlighted the growing impunity and disregard for passengers’ rights in the country’s aviation sector.
Air Peace had issued a statement, accusing Oshiomhole
of allegedly disrupting airport operations after missing a scheduled flight, just as the operators alleged that Oshiomhole had reportedly arrived late for Flight P47120, which was scheduled to depart for Abuja at 6:30 a.m.
Oshiomhole while speaking with Journalists and displaying visible documented evidence and videos, said that on Tuesday, he arrived at the airport at 6:10 p.m. for a 6:50 p.m for another Air flight, but was denied a boarding pass, even though he had met the airline’s check-in deadline of 30 minutes before departure.
He said, “Yesterday, I got to the airport 40 minutes ahead. My luggage was already checked in. But they told me they had stopped issuing boarding passes. Meanwhile, I saw others arriving after me who were allowed to board.”
According to the former Edo State Governor despite holding business class tickets for himself and an aide, who was allowed to board, he was turned back.
Lamenting what he termed, the arbitrary application of airline policies that left him with a hotel bill of N1.5 million to accommodate himself and two stranded Ghanaian passengers, said that while attempting to fly with Air Peace the next morning, “ I arrived before 6:00 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight, having checked in online by 9pm, the previous night.”
Oshiomhole, who expressed his frustration that he was again denied boarding, alongside other passengers who were disorganised by a last-minute change in check-in policy from 30 to 45 minutes before departure, said, “I got there at about five minutes past six. They told me the counter was closed. I told them, ‘No, I’ve already checked in.’ I showed them the evidence of my online check-in. Even before then, they had asked if I had checked in, and I told them yes, and that I had no luggage. They looked at it but still said the gate had been closed. Meanwhile, I noticed they were still taking other people in.
“So I asked, ‘How can you close boarding for a 6:30 flight at 6:05? What is the purpose of online check-in, then?’ If I had to go through another check-in process, then what’s the point of checking in online?”
“While speaking to them, I saw many men and women who had been there even before me, with similar experiences. They were selling tickets on the spot at higher prices. I’ll give you an example. A lady bought her ticket for N146,000 online. She arrived at the airport at 5:55 a.m. for the 6:30 a.m. flight, after the gatemen had delayed her.
“They told her she was late and that the counter had closed for check-in. She said that was impossible, as it wasn’t even 6:00 a.m. They told her she would be put on the next flight. She protested, saying, ‘Why? Put me on this flight.’ But they told her the flight was full and she would have to wait.
“Meanwhile, the airline was selling tickets on the spot for N250,000. To take advantage of the situation, they discouraged those who had bought tickets online at lower rates and sold to people willing to pay more.
“I was told the counter had closed. But people were still being allowed to buy new tickets at higher prices. Those of us who had booked online for N146,000 were told we were late, while they sold new tickets for N250,000. That is not policy enforcement, it is extortion.”
Oshiomhole who noted that he caused a disruption, explained that he remained calm but firm, but he only intervened when a crowd of stranded passengers, including women with babies, began to protest.
He said, “I didn’t disrupt anything. I refused to let them ‘sort me out’ while others were left stranded. They offered to help me once they recognised me. I said, Don’t help me, enforce my rights like every other Nigerian,” he said.
He criticised what he called the “VIP culture of impunity,” where influential people are offered personalised solutions while ordinary citizens suffer.
“That’s the real problem, big men get sorted, and the rest of Nigerians are ignored. If speaking out makes me a troublemaker, then I’ll cause trouble forever,” he said.
He explained further, “I asked the manager, ‘What is this woman’s crime? She has a baby that’s no more than six months old.
“How can you refuse to board her when the aircraft is still on the ground and more people are buying tickets?’ You cannot continue like this. Tomorrow, everyone will blame the government.
“You have regulatory agencies, and they are all compromising. You cannot board people buying tickets on the spot and deny those who booked days ago or checked in online.
“By the time the DSS and Air Force personnel came to find out what happened, they intervened and offered to put the woman on the next flight, the same offer they had made to me earlier. But to board that next flight, they told her she would have to pay N109,100. This was in addition to the original N146,000 ticket, meaning she would spend about N256,000 for a one-hour flight to Abuja. There were many others in the same situation, and everyone was shouting at the airport.
“I said to the manager, ‘You must follow the rules.’ Many people were stranded, except those who could afford another ticket. I followed the woman to the counter and told her to do whatever they asked. Those of us who were also prevented from flying gathered there. Even when an officer offered me access to a lounge, people around said, ‘Comrade, please don’t leave—this is how they’ve been treating us.’
“I had to send that woman N500,000. That’s basically what happened. I told them this cannot be allowed. I checked in online and arrived on time. The aircraft hadn’t taken off. I’m not supposed to check in twice. The rowdiness arose because many people were denied boarding while tickets were being sold on the spot to others.”
Speaking further, Senator Oshiomhole asked what the oversight role of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is, just as he called on the federal government to intervene.
He said, “How can you profit from your inefficiency? This is ruthless, primitive capitalism. Nigerians are unprotected. The government must act.”
Oshiomhole, who warned that continued injustice and exploitation could lead to deeper public anger and unrest, said, “When people give up hope, bullets will not stop them. The least a government can do is to protect its citizens from exploitation.”
