For so many times, Allen Onyema used his resources and airplane to rescue stranded Nigerian citizens abroad and brought them back without a payment from government.
Onyema used his airplane the same way to airlift supplies China sent Nigeria to fight COVID-19🦠😷together with Chinese medical experts who came in to help in April 2020. He was a good Nigerian then.
His airline crew adorned Igbo Isi Agu wear on their maiden flight to Gatwick London this weekend, therefore, he has offended many through that.
Allen Onyema has immediately been branded an alien Igbo bigot and a bad man.
However, users of the services of the airline are aware that on Fridays, as a tradition of many years, Air Peace workers wear Nigerian attires of different types. I have experienced it many times seeing them in Nigerian wears.
First time I noticed it was a day I flew the airline’s Boeing 777 3 Series to Abuja from Lagos.
However, do we ask ourselves in the face of this cacophony of complaints how do the crew of international airlines such as Ethiopian Airways, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch, Emirates, Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Turkish Air dress?
Do they dress to reflect the tradition and culture of the places of origin of these airlines? If yes, how wrong is it that an airline with nativity in Nigeria had a crew dressed to reflect Nigerian culture?
Last year November, the last time I flew Ibom Air, I asked the crew why they didn’t announce to passengers in Ibibio as they used to, and I am not Ibibio. They told me in response that many other passengers who are not Ibibio were complaining. I was angry and I told the lady that much. I argued with her that rather than drop Ibibio, a Nigerian language because of such pettiness, they should have added some few other Nigerian languages. It was a great disservice.
One of the things I hate about Nigeria’s existence is the death of the various indigenous cultures in the name of a forced unity. Every Nigerian language is seriously endangered where we struggle with ourselves to speak what everyone should understand.
Arrive the Jomo Kenyatta, Bole, and some other airports in Africa, their announcement starts with their local language such as Swahili or Amharic before English or another. Even when departing any country, Ethiopian Airways announces in Amharic before any other language. However, that’s not the only language in Ethiopia, just the majority one among 108 others.
Even the world class Dubai Airport announces first in Arabic before any other language comes. But here we suppress everything and kill ourselves over every diversity to force a false unity that has eluded us since 1914.
No doubt, Isi Agu has been accepted as a Nigerian attire reason decietful politicians, even Buhari that unapologetically hates the Igbo dressed in it when he campaigned.
Meanwhile, the Isi Agu is not rightly sewn. It should not be made into suits and jackets, but rightly the traditional way we make it. That’s when it will reflect the true identity of what it is.
Air Peace, take note and do it right.
