For a few years, I lived right opposite London City Airport. It took me all of five minutes to walk from my house into the Airport. Naturally, when I travelled and still travel, I would begin from and end my itinerary at that lovely cosy Airport. It means every time I travel to Africa, I go via continental Europe. But that is fine; even pleasurable. Psychologically, I would ready myself for a long leisurely journey.
For a few years, I lived right opposite London City Airport. It took me all of five minutes to walk from my house into the Airport. Naturally, when I travelled and still travel, I would begin from and end my itinerary at that lovely cosy Airport. It means every time I travel to Africa, I go via continental Europe. But that is fine; even pleasurable. Psychologically, I would ready myself for a long leisurely journey.
I have therefore come to be familiar with most major European cities especially, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Rome and Milan. On some occasions, I would plan my journey to stay over a night or two in some of those cities. But most of the times I just have about a three hour wait to connect my flight. I will wind my way through the airport at a relaxed pace and invariably end up in the Bar. There I would leisurely put away a bottle or three while sampling some of the local delicacies. I would meet and interact with other travellers – especially Nigerians and other Africans. To this day, I still maintain some friendships that began in those airport bars. I even started a little something-something with a very pretty lady from Kogi State I met in Amsterdam airport; but please don’t tell anyone!
For me, another benefit of travelling that way is that I would normally arrive Lagos in the early evening. At that time, most of the airport touts have melted away. Even the ‘wetin you carry’ people have run out of energy (or have full pockets!), they just wave you through without much hassle. The journey into town is also devoid of the usual hold up as most people are already at home and the ‘pure water’ vendors and okada riders would have called it a day. Most importantly, I get into our house without too much notice from friends and would be adventurers. The neighbourhood wakes up in the morning to find me lolling about the place like a well fed colourful iguana.
I have only flown British Airways (BA) on a few occasions – especially to the Americas. Thank God however, I have never had the displeasure of flying that airline to Nigeria - partly because of the reason I have stated in the opening paragraph, and partly because of what friends, family and colleagues tells me about their inhumane experiences with BA. The stories would be familiar to most travellers by now; especially those that ply the Lagos – London route so I will not repeat them here. Unanimously, I heard how BA airport officials and flight crews treat Nigerians with utmost contempt and disdain. I know of a colleague that hasn’t flown BA for sixteen years now simply because of the way a Caucasian flight attendant spoke to him when he asked for beverage. He simply couldn’t square the treatment he got on that flight to previous ways he was treated when he had flown that airline to the Bahamas. The bottom line is that BA officials and crew have zero regard for paying Nigerian travellers and Nigeria.
There have been complaints by Nigerians in the past of course. BA had always responded that Nigerian travellers are difficult to manage as they carry more than they are entitled, don’t queue up nicely, talk loud, etc. I find none of that acceptable or indeed tenable. Air travel is a business; a lucrative one at that not a child’s party. If BA finds Nigerians and Nigerian travellers to be too rumbustious, too assertive and too lively for their capability why do they persist in flying the Lagos – London route? Why don’t they try London – Iceland for example? Is it by force? Aha! Profit. The money is too good. BA doesn’t mind the super profit they get off their second most lucrative route but doesn’t want to put in the hard work that comes with it.
Unfortunately, BA have been able to get away with this for so long because they know too well that Nigerian government and Civil Aviation Authority officials are very easily induced and corruption-prone. If anything, our government officials act like agents of BA and other foreign multinationals. I mean, look at what the GSM operators are doing with government officials including all our Legislators. They are openly bribed with free call cards every month. These firms then turn around and charge their Nigerian subscribers the highest tariffs on the planet. Which compromised Legislator is going to raise any objection? Truth is BA has assiduously taken advantage of our government’s apathy to do as it pleases within Nigeria and with Nigerian travellers. What BA wouldn’t dare to even contemplate doing in other places – say, India – it regularly metes out to its Nigerian costumers. For instance, about £250 will get you from London to New York and back on BA at all times; but amazingly, the same BA charges about £850 from London to Lagos return during the summer and Christmas periods! And London to New York is farther than London to Lagos! This has been the case for years.
The Nigerian government has consistently let down its own citizens in a manner that suggests that is probably what the government understand its own role to be. When the External Affairs Minister, Ojo Maduekwe talks about citizens’ diplomacy, God only knows what he is talking about. Nigerian Embassies and Consulates the world over certainly don’t know anything about that. Their officials are just collecting salaries for nothing and for occasionally irritating their fellow Nigerians abroad. A government that truly understands its duties would not continue to allow BA continue to treat Nigerians the way it does. It is times like this that one hankers for the goggled evil one, Abacha, to deal with BA in a decisive manner as he once did.
Because our government readily short-changes us and wouldn’t protect our own interests but will that of organisations like BA, a group of sufficiently concerned Nigerians under the umbrella of Respectnigerians and the indefatigable site Nigeria Village Square came together to challenge BA’s tyranny given its most recent episode of disrespecting Nigerians. On one of it flights at London Heathrow Airport, it threw out 136 Nigerians because a few of them asked the flight crew why they called the Police to arrest one passenger. That passenger, Mr Ayo Omotade had asked a private firm overzealous employees to be gentler in their handling, and not to kill a screaming Nigerian they were suffocating in the back of the plane in the process of deporting him. For that alone – the effrontery of challenging oyinbo - Mr Omotade was taken off the flight, handcuffed and made to sit on the tarmac for a long time. He was later detained in a Police cell for about nine hours and about £1,600 he was travelling with taken off him. His luggage went missing for two weeks, and when it was eventually returned to him by BA, it was badly damaged. Mr Omotade missed his brother’s wedding. For his troubles, BA slapped a life ban on him. That wasn’t all. BA then LIED. It put out a false statement that Mr Omotade and some other Nigerians physically and verbally assaulted some of their flight crew! Now tell me, can BA try this if the passengers were White?
RespectNigerians coalition issued BA an ultimatum to apologise to all passengers concerned and pay them appropriate compensation. Instead, in a racist-like manner dripping with contempt, BA dispatched some junior Nigerian employees from its Nigerian office to go and respond to an invitation for explanation sent to it by the Nigerian government. Yes. The April 30 2008 deadline set by RespectNigerians came and went. BA continued to act like a bully – not in London, but in Nigeria, our own country. RespectNigerians had no choice but to call for a world-wide boycott of BA by Nigerians and others. The boycott began on May 15 2008 and would remain until BA does the right thing. There are planned protests in Lagos, Abuja, London, Dublin and other cities. Enough is enough. Because I am Black and my country does not have a national carrier doesn’t make me any less human than the next person.
A few people have rightly pointed out that those leading this boycott effort should not forget to also focus attention on injustices and bad governance in Nigeria. This is correct and I would echo this sentiment and urged other Nigerians everywhere to please do something about the state of things in Nigeria. But then, there are a few antagonists who insist that boycotting BA is a waste of time and mis-direction of priority. They hold that Nigerians should set up their own national airline first before they can deem themselves having any right to complain about maltreatment by other airlines. I disagree completely. Perhaps it a comprehension problem for those that hold this view. Having our own national airline (and indeed fighting injustices at home and bad governance) should not be a serial event. I find that kind of thinking defeatist and laced with a bit of self hatred. I certainly would not wait around for a Nigerian Airways or abolition of corruption in Nigeria before I demand equal treatment for myself anywhere. I will not abide inhumane, racist and degrading treatment because I am a Nigerian and we have a weak government. One does not come before the other. If we adopt that attitude, slavery would be thriving today. A few ‘Uncle Toms’ that benefits from BA directly or indirectly would always object of course. There is no doubt that a perverse comfort can be found in selfish cowardice. But that is their choice. We leave them to their conscience. We just hope that when oyinbo insults them, they don’t come back bleating to anyone.
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By Michael Egbejumi-David
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