In the past, if you told your friend you boarded a plane from Lagos to Abuja, they will see you as a guy with a class who is better off than those who have ridden in a bus because they feel you must have a lot of money and also the advantage of time at your disposal.
Some may however argue that the choice of air travel is because of convenience, but what is ‘convenience’ without money? For you to choose what is convenient, you must have some cash to back it up.
Still telling you this short story about friends and air travel, some of them lie about it. They will leave Ibadan for Abuja and come about a week later telling you their means of transportation was by air. You wonder why?
Not so many people are crazy about taking pictures but then everybody basks in the euphoria of some of life’s major events, and, to some people, boarding an airplane is one, be it local or international.
Even if you don’t like your face, you want to show a part of it to your doubting friends with a background of an airplane wing, seat or the square window. Anybody that saw any of those would at least know you got close to a plane.
It is expected that on the average you change your display picture on your blackberry phone, send a picture to twitter or if you decide to be secretive at that moment, you will at least leave a picture or two in your phone media library to show as a proof to friends that indeed it happened. The only excuse you can give is that you didn’t have a camera phone with you but then you may have to keep the boarding pass. Oh, I must be a funny writer you just thought. What can shut the mouths of your friends? In other to clear all doubts, you need a solid proof.
Coming down to the Nigerian story, the story has really changed in the last few years.
The Nigerian airspace they told us is safe but I wouldn’t agree in totality because we’ve had one too many deaths in the last decade. Our airplanes have become flying coffins.
Boarding an airplane in Nigeria is no longer a luxury. People are scared for you because they are not sure of your survival. The rate of crashes has increased and one can almost conclude that you are dead until proven otherwise.
Those who boarded most local airplanes said they are old and rickety. The air conditioner rarely works and the noises from those engines are frightening. You may have to say your last prayers many times over.
Many innocent lives have been lost including promising young Nigerians who were supposed to be part of the re-building process of the country.
We can only hope that relevant agencies sit up, and put an end to this menace, before it spirals out of control.
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