By SANYA ONAYOADE
One of the biggest threats to aviation in Nigeria is the Big Man Syndrome, and this just played out. Aviation is the safest mode of transportation all over the world where safety standards and protocols are global, and domiciled in ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation). It means the basic standards and protocols in JFK, Schiphol, and Heathrow airports should be the same with MMA International and Nnamdi Azikiwe. Access protocol and facility/equipment outlay may be different in local airports, but there are globally approved standards for safety.
Seeing KWAM 1 leaning on a plane with a revving engine, wearing no security tag and reflective jacket, exchanging words with uniformed aviation operatives on a restricted tarmac zone was the height of security breach for which he ought to have been arrested. I expect heads to have rolled in the AVSEC (Aviation Security) department of FAAN by now. And let’s face it, clearing miscreants from the tarmac is not part of a pilot’s Job Description. Some people are paid for that.
I worked in the Aviation Industry for many years. At the start, I went through a whole gamut of security checks and clearance: DSS, SSS, Narcotics etc, and given security badge that you wore all the time, and reflective jacket you must adorn when accessing some areas like the baggage area and the tarmac. That is what every person working in that space must go through. Yet, as Head of Communication and Marketing in Nahco (Nigerian Aviation Handling Company), a senior management position, my ID tag didn’t grant me access to all the places at the airport. Some areas are highly restricted, and my access to such areas should signal an alarm. However highly placed you are in the aviation hierarchy, you should never be where KWAM 1 was standing at the point of an aircraft engine starting, much less not wearing a reflective.
But in our clime, its’ the Big Man Syndrome. Here is when you see your plane delayed because a big man was running late and the plane won’t dare take off until he steps in; where political and religious leaders are welcomed on the tarmac by multitudes. Unfortunately, these slips and gaps affect all of us. Airports are certified based on their adherence to safety protocol. When you hear that MMA1 or Abuja Airport fails CAT 1 certification, don’t look any further. When you hear some countries like Canada, South Korea not offering direct flight to Nigeria, it could be safety issues besides other cogent reasons. US certifies our airports periodically and withdraws the privilege when we fall short.
I hope we can address this Big Man Syndrome at our airports, and I hope KWAM 1 would be prosecuted and referred to mental evaluation.
Airport security are trained to be sensitive to behaviours around them: tantrums and unusual movements. KWAM 1 ought to have been gently escorted out of the place the moment he refused to hand over the liquid. By the time he poured the liquid on a staff (if the report was correct), it had become a high aviation risk irrespective of the personality involved. And by the time he was moving towards the front of the plane, his ‘VIP’ status should have been suspended and whisked away, because it had become an emergency. He could have had a mental meltdown, he could have been armed with dangerous weapon, yet so close to a vulnerable place at the airport. Lest I forget, the guy should go for mental evaluation, or which sane being dares a moving train or airplane?
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Timing is a currency in aviation, and any slight delay in the process has a chain reaction. If your flight was delayed because a misguided swollen-headed fellow was throwing tantrums, chances were your connecting flight might be missed, or missed an important meeting, a huge cost to you. The pilot and the captain were supposed to be in the cockpit as at the time they were there. They were right to have started the engine. They had a critical time slot, had to taxi at a scheduled time, and take off at a scheduled time. You would be surprised how many stages they go through from pulling the aircraft out of the hanger to lifting up, each stage with allocated time and controls. While in the cockpit, they obey only the commands from the control tower. The lady pilot must have been cleared by the control tower to start out.
Though it is a security breach to move the aircraft when an unauthorised target was close to the aircraft, how are we sure the pilot saw KWAM 1 flip-flapping around like a headless snake? If you were close to the nose of the aircraft, chances were you were out of view from the cockpit. Just like when you are in a truck/trailer, you may not see what is close to the front of the trailer. Don’t also forget that as at the time the plane engaged the movement (following command from the control tower), KWAM 1 and the other airport operatives were beside the plane, an obvious blind spot to the pilot. It was in this motion that KWAM 1 moved to the front, and if he was very close to the nose of the plane, chances were that was also a blind spot to the pilot. In all of this, I’m perplexed that this wayward fellow couldn’t be whisked away, not because his life meant much to us, since he could willy-nilly trade it off, but because of the safety of sane and innocent travelers.
I hope we can address this Big Man Syndrome at our airports, and I hope KWAM 1 would be prosecuted and referred to mental evaluation.
