This can be a assertion launched by Fortunate Onoriode George, Govt Director of the African Journey Fee (ATC), about Air Peace, a Nigerian Airline. It includes Nigerian Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Air Peace, and the Nigerian flying public.
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The African Journey Fee [ATC] needs to set the document straight relating to the unlucky incident involving Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Air Peace, and several other affected passengers; together with myself, Fortunate Onoriode George, Govt Director of ATC and an award-winning journalist [the first and only Nigerian recipient of the prestigious European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize for Journalists Reporting on Human Rights and Development, awarded in 2006].
Fortunate George summarized the Air Peace Incident.
I, together with seven different passengers, was booked on the 6:30 a.m. Air Peace flight in query. We arrived on the airport properly forward of the airline’s stipulated check-in deadline.
Nonetheless, regardless of the plane nonetheless being on the bottom, we had been denied boarding.
Upon seeing Senator Oshiomhole on the Air Peace counter, I approached him and defined the unfair therapy we had been going through.
I voiced my concern in regards to the recurring exploitation and poor service endured by Nigerian travellers, a state of affairs brought on primarily by the absence of a nationwide provider and the restricted capability of home airways, akin to Air Peace.
In solidarity, Senator Oshiomhole intervened on our behalf. He approached a person who recognized himself as a supervisor and requested a proof and potential decision. This was notably urgent on condition that we had been knowledgeable that tickets had been nonetheless being bought that morning for as a lot as ₦250,000.
Nonetheless, throughout radio communication between the check-in counter and the tarmac, we overheard a declare that the flight was “full.” This straight contradicted a later public assertion by Air Peace Chairman, Mr. Allen Onyema, who admitted that the flight departed with empty seats.
Following additional discussions, Senator Oshiomhole was finally provided a seat on the 8:30 a.m. flight. The remainder of us, nevertheless, had been requested to pay a ₦15,000 rescheduling charge, and in some instances, a further fare distinction of as much as ₦109,000. Senator Oshiomhole strongly objected to this, rightly insisting that the airline, not the passengers, ought to bear the price of its operational failures.
Go to Hell
The conduct of Air Peace employees all through this ordeal was appalling. Their perspective was marked by conceitedness, indifference, and a stunning lack of empathy. At one level, we had been even advised in no unsure phrases that if we had been dissatisfied, we might “go to hell.” This prompted peaceable protests from the affected passengers, who demanded to be handled with equity and respect.
Significantly troubling was the press launch issued by Air Peace following the incident. The assertion was riddled with inaccuracies and falsehoods. Fairly than handle its clear operational shortcomings, the airline selected as an alternative to deflect blame and misrepresent the info of what transpired.
For years, Nigerian airways, with Air Peace chief amongst them, however have operated with little regard for passenger rights, continuously delaying, rescheduling, or cancelling flights with minimal or no clarification. This tradition of inefficiency, poor service, and disrespect for customers can not be tolerated.
This incident marks a turning level. Alongside Senator Oshiomhole and different affected passengers, I’m calling for accountability, transparency, and a complete evaluation of Air Peace’s customer support and operational practices. Nigerian travellers deserve higher
I urge the flying public to stand up, demand worth for cash, and demand that airways are held accountable for the way they deal with their prospects.
Lastly, I strongly condemn any try to solid this challenge in ethnic phrases. Among the many affected passengers had been at the very least three people of Igbo descent, together with a two-month-old toddler.
This isn’t an ethnic matter. It’s a nationwide challenge involving shopper rights, service supply, and company accountability.
Signed by
Fortunate Onoriode George, Ph.D.
Govt Director, African Journey Fee [ATC]
Journalist & Client Rights Advocate
