The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has publicly condemned Sen. Adams Oshiomhole for his outburst at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, describing it as unruly and unacceptable.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has criticized Oshiomhole for his actions, describing the incident as a serious example of extreme poor behavior by a passenger and a leader at that.

The group said it was disappointed that two days after the event, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had still not explained what really happened.

During a recent event in Lagos, AON’s spokesperson, Obiora Okonkwo, spoke about the matter. 

He condemned Oshiomhole’s behavior and stood in support of Air Peace, the airline involved in the incident. 

Okonkwo emphasized that while passengers have their rights, those rights must follow international aviation rules. 

He said, “as much as we appreciate and understand that every passenger has a right, your right is only limited to what is allowed within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and aviation industry.”

He stated that a passenger being disappointed does not give anyone the right to act out in public. He said what happened was clearly a bad behavior and not acceptable. 

“There is no amount of disappointment that gives the right to self-help. What you saw was a typical case of unruly behaviour. It is not acceptable,” he stressed.

Okonkwo also highlighted that Air Peace plays a major role in Nigeria’s local and international flights and deserves to be treated with fairness. 

He said, “it is somebody’s investment. It is not right to demonise the airline. 

“It is way too far from discussing the issues.” 

He further explained airlines operating in the country try their best to meet passenger needs.

 “We have looked at the things he (Oshiomhole) said, and we do not see any logic in it. 

“There is no airline that will not want to carry its passengers. We bend over backwards to satisfy our passengers,” he added.

*Keyamo calls for truce

Reacting to the incident, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, said he had already spoken with both Oshiomhole and Air Peace, urging everyone to remain calm, while the matter is being investigated. 

“I have been in direct contact with both parties since that morning. I also directed the aviation agencies to exercise restraint in jumping to conclusions, in line with the time-honoured legal principle of ‘hear all sides’ before reaching judgment,” he said.

He also asked both sides to stop making public accusations until the investigation is completed. 

“I am further directing the relevant aviation agencies to thoroughly look into the issue, collect all available evidence and revert to my office so we can deal with the issue in such a way as to guide future conduct in similar situations,” he stated.