By KAZEEM AKINTUNDE
Musician Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose was in the news for the better part of last week for the wrong reasons. His big-sized ego and half-baked education eventually became his undoing. Scheduled to board a morning flight from Abuja to Lagos, Anifowose, who has rebranded his name and music on more than four different occasions, proceeded to take onboard a ValueJet Aircraft, a golden flask containing some liquid substance. When told that having liquid substances on board an aircraft was against standard aviation rules, he became unruly, asking the aircraft hostess ‘’Do you know who I am?’’ Hear the full account of what transpired from the aircraft Captain, Oluranti Ogoyi.
“During boarding, which commenced as scheduled at 8:10 a.m, KWAM1 approached the aircraft at about 08:15–08:20, carrying a gold flask of unknown content. Ground staff requested, as per standard procedure, to verify the content of the flask but he vehemently refused. He was seen drinking from the flask and the ground staff suspected that it contained alcohol, a substance prohibited on-board an aircraft in Nigeria. Instead, he responded with comments such as, “Do you know who I am?” “You have no right to tell me to open my flask”. As he reached the foot of the aircraft, security personnel reiterated that he could not board without complying with the inspection. He became confrontational, causing a disruption. To manage the situation and prevent further delay, I exited the cockpit and approached Mr. Ayinde to engage him amicably. Without warning, he opened the flask and poured its contents on me, the security personnel, and some nearby passengers. Following this assault, airport security intervened, and other passengers were allowed to continue boarding. The Head of Security advised that Mr. Ayinde should not be permitted to travel on the flight due to his unruly behaviour. I agreed, prioritising the safety of my passengers and crew. After shutting the aircraft doors, I observed that Mr. Ayinde was still near the aircraft, obstructing movement. I made a public announcement to inform passengers of the delay while security personnel worked to remove him from the area. Once he was moved out of sight, I commenced taxing and departed for Lagos at approximately 08:50. This incident caused significant delay, disruption, and posed safety risks to passengers, crew, and the operation of the flight.”
From the video of the scene that has now gone viral, KWAM 1 was seen in front of the aircraft blocking its movement and in what appears to be in a fit of anger, Captain Ogoyi also turned the aircraft into a molue, as she began taxing, endangering the life of KWAM 1, his personal assistant, and other airport workers still within the vicinity of the aircraft. For her unprofessional conduct, Captain Ogoyi has now had her licence suspended, while KWAM 1 has been placed on No-flight list for six months. The NCAA has also written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately arrest the musician and for the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to commence his prosecution.
KWAM 1 has pushed back through his media aide, Kunle Rasheed, who stated in a press statement that he was the victim and not the aggressor in the incident. He dismissed reports that his boss breached aviation protocol or endangered passengers during the flight-boarding process on August 5, 2025. But when it became glaring that he had run foul of the law, KWAM 1 tendered an unreserved apology to Nigerians for his misconduct.
Indeed, KWAM 1 was unruly and obstinate on that day, although it didn’t come as much of a surprise to Nigerians, most of whom feel that that has been his stock in trade since he got on the entertainment scene. “Once he is angry, nobody can control him except his late mother”, according to an anonymous source. Perhaps due to the big-sized ego that ballooned out of his God-given fame, money and influence as a friend to the high and mighty in the country, he believes that he can do anything and get away with it.
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This writer grew up in Lagos Island, the same vicinity with KWAM 1, and he has always struck me as saucy and arrogant. Even when he was still relatively young and struggling, he behaved and acted as though he was beyond reproach. An incident that happened 37 years ago between myself and KWAM 1 is still fresh in my memory. A sister was getting married and Wasiu Ayinde was on the band stand. When it was time for my sister to hit the dance floor, she beckoned on me and my other colleagues to come on stage to dance with her. But on seeing how young we were and suspecting that we may not have mint notes to spray him, he flew into a rage, saying “You expect me to sing for these young kids?” Even though I was in my 20s at the time, that episode remains etched in my memory.
Addressing people without clout became such an open part of him that it became apparent to many attendees at the burial of his late mother when he told a close family friend that Muslim clerics were constantly in his house looking for what to eat. Unknown to him, the conversation was recorded and uploaded on social media. Many Islamic clerics were shocked, and some actually placed a curse on him. His bad manner of approach also reflected in the way he spoke to President Bola Tinubu on phone when the President called him to commiserate with him on the demise of his mother. That phone conversation was made public by KWAM 1 himself.
I only pray that his indiscretion won’t cause Nigeria’s aviation sector another round of sanctions or downgrading from the relevant international aviation bodies.
Some have suggested that, perhaps, his lack of formal education may be responsible for his garrulous behaviour. Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps that is why he is trying to rectify that impression by enrolling as an undergraduate in a University in Nigeria.
At 68, a titled Chief, and a prominent figure in the society, for KWAM 1 to stand in front of a moving aircraft, trying to stop it from taxing off, still baggers belief and trust Nigerians to read meanings into such things.
Some are saying that it is not an ordinary act and that the curse placed on him by the Muslim clerics for the embarrassment he meted on their image at his late mother’s Fida’u may be responsible for his recent disgraceful behaviour.
Now, if you’ve never stood near one of those big jets – those with the massive engines that spin like fans – you need to know something: those engines can suck a full-grown adult into them. Human body, clothing, phones, caps -everything. Those engines are not toys. They’re beasts, designed to move 70–100 tonnes of metal at 800 km/h. You don’t block that kind of thing with your chest, no matter how full you think it is or who you think you are. And to make matters more interesting and incredulous, KWAM-1 wasn’t wearing earmuffs. No personal protective equipment. Nothing. Just his bruised ego.
If KWAM-1 was rash and uncut, what happened to the excellent training the aircraft pilot got while in flying school? Was she ready to commit murder with the way and manner that she taxied around humans on the tarmac, damning the consequences? The truth is, no matter how disruptive a passenger may be, a pilot’s first duty is to ensure the safety of everyone and not to take matters into their hands in a way that could have ended in tragedy. Pilots are trained to handle disruptive passengers and standard procedure dictates that security personnel – not the captain – should deal with such situations. If KWAM-1 was indeed unruly, the right course of action was to have alerted the FAAN (Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria) security to remove him, even if it meant handcuffing him to do so. What the pilot did, moving the aircraft while a passenger and other airport staff was still within distance was not only reckless, it was a gross violation of aviation safety.
Before an aircraft can taxi or take off, clearance must first be given by Air Traffic Control (ATC). Did the pilot receive such clearance, or did she act unilaterally? If she moved the plane without authorisation, that’s another serious breach. Aviation rules exist for a reason – to prevent accidents – not to empower pilots to make impulsive decisions that could cost lives. Imagine if the worst had happened, the narrative would have shifted from “courageous pilot” to “negligent pilot who caused a preventable death.” The airline, the aviation industry, and Nigeria as a whole, would have faced international scrutiny.
Again, the third guilty party in this sordid case that many are not paying close to are those responsible for security, key officials of the airline, as well as the two regulatory agencies – the NCAA and FAAN. Perhaps beholding to the musician and awe-struck by his fame, those security agencies failed to do their jobs. They succeeded in telling the whole world that security of such an important place could be breached at will by well-connected people without an attempt to checkmate them or any immediate consequence.
They allowed KWAM-1 to ride roughshod over them like the lord of the tarmac, untamed by security and aviation officials; until the advancing aircraft put a stop to his ill-advised power show and shenanigans. He was forced to scamper for safety not by security personnel and officials, but by the wing of the aircraft!
The musician was tacitly allowed to violate the sanctity of the Airport and roam endlessly and dangerously in restricted areas with very feeble attempt to checkmate him. No, they didn’t check him. They were actually pleading with him! There was no gun drawn and no attempt to physically bundle him away from where he shouldn’t have been in the first place. A less known individual not connected with the power loop would have been visited with some immediate consequences, including physical restraint, and possibly handcuffed.
KWAM-1 was lucky. It could have been a gory end for him. He almost paid for his supercilious carriage and indiscretion with his life. When the pilot revved the engine of the plane and in full throttle, the plane began its pre-departure taxing for the runway, KWAM-1 was in its direct path. He ducked the plane wings just before the moment of Impact. It was a near tragedy; he was seconds away from being crushed or decapitated by the wings of an aircraft in full throttle. By his irresponsible and wanton acts, he has repeatedly done damage to his name and brand, his apology notwithstanding.
Now that NCAA has called on Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police and Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to arrest and prosecute KWAM-1 for turning the tarmac into a circus show, let us see how the sordid encounter will turn out. I only pray that his indiscretion won’t cause Nigeria’s aviation sector another round of sanctions or downgrading from the relevant international aviation bodies.
See you next week.
