By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The senator representing Edo north, Adams Oshiomhole, has refuted allegations by Air Peace that he disrupted the airline’s operations after missing a scheduled 6.30am flight.
Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo, said he did not cause any disruption, stressing that on the contrary, stood firm against extortion and arbitrary policy changes by the airline.
Air Peace had, in a statement, accused Oshiomhole of arriving late for a flight scheduled to depart Lagos for Abuja at 6:30 am.
But sharing his own side of the story before journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Oshiomhole said he arrived at the airport on Tuesday at 6:10 pm for a 6:50 pm flight and met the airline’s 30-minute check-in deadline.
“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,” he said.
Oshiomhole said he booked a business class ticket, but was denied boarding while his aide was allowed through, adding that the incident compelled him to lodge at a hotel, where he paid N1.5 million to accommodate himself and two Ghanaian passengers who were also stranded at the time.
The ex – Governor of Edo State said he returned for the 6:30 am flight the next morning, having checked in online at 7:46 pm the previous night but was again turned back, along with other passengers, after a “sudden” change.
According to him the sudden and arbitrary change in policy required passengers to check in 45 minutes before departure — up from the usual 30 minutes.
Oshiomhole said: “I booked Air Peace… They delayed the flight for over five hours. In the end, they announced a cancellation. I had to get another ticket. Yesterday, I booked a flight for 6:30 a.m., which is their first flight today. I booked and asked them to check me in online, which I did, along with two other Ghanaians who met me in Lagos. We checked in online just to avoid the last-minute issues I’ve had with them a couple of times.
“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. Basically, 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 between N200,000 and N300,000. 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 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.”
“How can you profit from your own inefficiency? This is ruthless, primitive capitalism. Nigerians are unprotected. The government must act.”
“When people give up hope, bullets will not stop them. The least a government can do is to protect its citizens from exploitation.”
