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Tech which makes Sense

The seed that grew my fears was planted before I got on the plane. It was last Christmas and my destination was Owerri, in Eastern Nigeria.

At the ticket counter, I paid an additional excess baggage fee and checked my bags. Further down the hall and to my right was the escalator that took me to the second floor. There, on the second floor, my hand luggage passed under the scanning device and my body was searched. Passing through security clearance, I put on my shoes, belt, and hat, retrieved my carry-on, and walked a short distance to sit in one of the gleaming metal chairs.

Since I arrived early, an hour before boarding, I began to read a novel. Thirty minutes after my reading, I heard my name announced through the megaphone, as well as two other names. The announcer directed us to go down to the check-in counter.

Still in my seat, I waited and watched to see who my companions would be. A tall, lanky man rose from the seated crowd. He walked away. After a while I followed him, a reasonable ten steps back. We passed the small corner by the security checkpoint and went down the escalators, then walked towards the check-in counters, behind which was a baggage room.

“They told me to get off,” the lanky man told one of the airline staff who was on duty outside the baggage hall.

“Ignore them,” the sentinel replied to the lanky man. Suddenly, and without further clarification, the skinny man turned and walked away. For a second I was tempted to join him since we were summoned together, our fate was joined at the hip, I reasoned. As I wondered whether to follow the tall man or not, curiosity got the best of me. It would be better to know the purpose of the call. I ignored the sentinel’s advice and headed to the back room instead.

Inside the room were three men, two of them dragging bags on the conveyor belt and the third sitting on a small wooden stool. Around him were boxes and luggage belonging to other travelers.

“Is this your bag, sir?” the seated man said, pointing his finger.

“Yes, it’s my bag,” I replied.

“What’s in there?”

“My belongings, you can open them if you want.”

“No, Oga, merry Christmas.” In addition to the seasonal greeting, the man began to smile and continued to wish me well. If there was anything in my luggage that was illegal or dangerous, the staff didn’t let me know. Therefore, neither my luggage nor I deserved extra attention. However, any prolonged discussion may have made the situation worse, so with a thousand naira note, I secured my freedom.

Back on the escalator, I headed back upstairs, ready to go through security a second time. The staff at the security checkpoint said to me, “Did you go through security before?”

“Yes,” I said, and was let in, back to the waiting room, without a repeat search or frisk. Fear, I swore to myself. It was at that moment that the seed of fear began to grow and take root. Any villain determined to cause chaos would have taken advantage of the lax security procedure.

I couldn’t help but think how pervasive this attitude of circumventing procedures can be throughout the local aviation system.

By now, my senses were on high alert. Where one cockroach roams, there are many more. I looked around, and the passenger waiting area was in a mini riot. Every five or 10 minutes, dozens of waiting passengers would rush to anyone in uniform to inquire about the status of their flight. Was the announcement about a trip to Abuja, to Enugu, to Owerri, people would ask? Confusion was everywhere. General announcements were never clear. Information about flight delays did not arrive promptly; in fact, there was a general lack of diligence in informing passengers. I was worried that I wouldn’t know if the mess was limited to baggage and security or system-wide.

My concern is that what one sees wrong in the performance of these airlines may pale in comparison to what one does not see. Yes, there have been some improvements over the years, but these improvements are not enough when it comes to a do-or-die scenario. Gone are the days when passengers loaded or retrieved their bags directly from the plane, but the progress made so far is not enough.

Why would airline staff announce a passenger approaching the counter and someone else override the announcement? Perhaps a lack of supervision, the scope and depth of which no one knows.

Nigerians don’t want to find out about the health of the local flight apparatus only when a plane falls from the sky. Now is the time to ask questions and enforce strict procedures. Which experts make sure that airlines keep their planes in top condition to fly at all times? Just because planes fly and land doesn’t mean they meet maintenance standards. Nothing prevents officials from delaying aircraft maintenance to maximize profits. A system that allows a thousand naira note to bypass baggage screening could easily allow a million naira to delay or bypass routine aircraft checks. Public access to the maintenance records of these airlines is justified.

However, my experience on board was somewhat different. Getting on the plane calmed my fears a bit. The crews were professional and the passengers were treated with respect. A voice from the cockpit apologized for the delay and promised a smooth flight.

My assigned seat was by the window, but there was already a man sitting there when I got there. Seeing me, the man made a listless effort to get out of it by dragging his feet, but as fear had taken over me, I stopped him and took his seat, which was in the middle. From where I sat, my eyes searched for any sign of a system that wasn’t working. I found a crack in the back of a seat diagonally across from me. The hallway floor was clean but dusty. To me, these are all further signs that the systems and devices of the local airlines in Nigeria may not be working as well as they appear to be.

My mind began to rewind and I remembered the shock I went through before I got on the plane, the unnecessary announcement for me to go back to the check-in counter, and the fact that security staff didn’t re-screen me when I arrived. I returned

Forty-five minutes was all it took for the plane to reach Owerri. On board, the flight, the drinks and the snacks that were served temporarily distracted me from my fear.

After seven days in eastern Nigeria, he was ready to catch a flight back. At the Samuel Mbakwe airport where my plane was waiting, the power went out twice in an hour. Later, I boarded the plane, not knowing if the light on the plane would go out the same way.

Halfway to our destination, at high altitude, the pilot began to make an announcement, but the voice was muffled and difficult to hear. I turned to my neighbor on the right and asked him what he thought of the unintelligible ad.

“It’s because the plane is traveling at a very high speed,” he replied. My heartbeat started skipping, and I must have looked as pale as the inside of a banana.

“Don’t worry,” the man told me, “we’ll land safe and sound.”

Wake up, fellow citizens! There is a lot to worry about when it comes to local air flights in Nigeria. It is my sincere wish and prayer that all who travel with the many airlines arrive safely at their destinations. For this reason, airline employees and inspectors must undergo repeated weekly refresher courses and training. Records of employee training and airline inspections should be posted for everyone to review. Let’s prevent a tragedy before it happens.

Final

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