I had to be in Lagos on Thursday, March 30, 2023 from my Abuja base. I had okayed the ticket before realizing that the 10.30am would be too late for me to catch up with a late classmate’s burial.
I requested an earlier departure and was given options of 6am and 8.30am. I choose the latter and paid N6,000 for the time change.
I got to the airport around 7am only to be informed that departure was now 11am! No message had been sent.
I was told it would be the first flight. I asked about the earlier flight and the staff shrugged her shoulders.
I told myself that unless a miracle happened, I had missed the burial. It did happen; at 8.45 am a boarding announcement was made! Passengers moved to the boarding gate but we wanted to know why the flight had been brought forward.
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The airline claimed that the management had decided to combine the flight with that of Benin. We were bussed to the Benin aircraft only to discover it was full!
The officials apologized and blamed their management for taking a decision without consultations. We were then moved to another aircraft. After sitting for 45 minutes sweating in the aircraft with no air conditioner on, I asked an hostess why the delay. She replied ” Manifest” It sounded like Manifesto to me.
Eventually we took off for Lagos with a stopover in Benin. As we landed in Benin, two of the overhead lockers flew open. But mercifully no item tumbled out. .
Then Lagos passengers were boarded and the aircraft doors shut. But we could not take off as there were a dozen passengers without seats!
The impatient pilot made an announcement that the engines were running , he was burning fuel and could no longer sustain such loss. The passengers shouted back. Eventually, good sense prevailed, the doors were opened and the passengers without seats, disembarked.
A passenger sitting
beside me complained that this Monday, the Air Peace Benin- Lagos flight for 7am did not take off until 3pm and no explanations were given.
We eventually landed in Lagos; I had spent 3 and half hours in the aircraft and had effectively missed my late friend’s burial. Cumulatively, I had spent over 7 hours from my house trying to fly to Lagos.
This is the country we live in; impunity, lack of regulation, lack of consumer protection and of course, lack of governance.
When did you say Buhari is leaving? Hopefully, we might have a better government, at least, not a missing one.
