Former Edo State Governor and current Edo North senator Adams Oshiomhole reportedly caused the temporary closure of the Zulu Terminal at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport on Tuesday morning after missing his scheduled Air Peace flight to Abuja, in what many have called a shocking abuse of privilege. It was a standard Lagos-to-Abuja flight, with a 6:30 AM departure time. Witnesses said that Oshiomhole insisted that the airline postpone the flight to make room for him after arriving late. But in line with aviation regulations, Air Peace employees turned down the request, stating that departure times must be rigorously followed.
The senator apparently became irritated and escalated the situation because this did not sit well with him. According to reports, Oshiomhole stopped operations at the terminal, essentially closing down the entire establishment in what many on the ground perceived as a heinous overreach. Many passengers, even those on later flights, were consequently left stranded and in the dark, uncertain of if or when they would be permitted to board. According to witnesses, passengers were finally let to board after the regional airport manager intervened to calm the scene and make an appeal to the senator. However, significant upheaval and psychological suffering had already taken place at that point.
An irate traveler who missed an important business meeting in Abuja declared, “Oshiomhole had no right to close a public terminal just because he was late, regardless of the nature of the problem.” “For heaven’s sake, he ought to act like a senator. It is wrong to treat someone with this level of entitlement and disrespect. Many passengers who were impacted by the disturbance expressed their displeasure on social media, demanding that public officials be held to the same standards as regular citizens and requesting punishment against the senator.
In their comments, civil society organisations and aviation stakeholders denounced the episode as an example of the ruling elite in Nigeria’s ingrained culture of impunity. No one, regardless of level, has the power to stop operations at a terminal, especially not for private reasons, according to aviation regulations. A representative for a traveler’s rights organisation with headquarters in Lagos stated, “This is not just a case of one man throwing a tantrum.” It is an insult to all Nigerians who value justice and responsibility, as well as a flagrant misuse of public space. If this conduct is allowed to continue, it conveys the harmful idea that laws are primarily for the weak and impoverished.
