By Omoniyi Salaudeen
Last week, two incidents bordering on unruly behaviour of air passengers happened, raising concern about aviation safety in Nigeria. The first one involved a popular Yoruba Fuji musician, King Wasiu Olasunkanmi Ayinde Marshall Anifowose, otherwise known as KWAM 1, or K1 De Ultimate, who attempted to stop a plane from flying using his body. The second one was about Comfort Emmanson, who physically assaulted Ibom Air officials before being bundled out of the aircraft in an ignominious and indecent manner.
In his moment of introspection, the embattled Fuji maestro must be ruing the day he lost control of his anger attempting to obstruct Value Jet plane from taking off on the tarmac, sparkling fresh debate about celebrity impunity in Nigeria. For some, the incident goes beyond what some public affairs commentators call “big man” syndrome. It’s a symptom of institutional meltdown. Institutional meltdown manifests in an organisation’s inability to function effectively when underlying systems and processes fail, leading to a broader crisis. The two scenarios that happened in different locations within last week signify systemic flaws in aviation regulation and safety procedures in the country. So, the spontaneous public anger following Ayinde’s misconduct is not just a reaction to a single incident; it’s a deep-seated frustration with issues of impunity and reckless disregard for procedural rules.
It will take a while to douse the public opprobrium that has continued to trail the unruly behaviour that KWAM1 exhibited at the Nnamidi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on August 5. A recalcitrant act that could be likened to what a renowned sociologist, Erving Goffman, characterised as “concept of role distance” in his theory of human behaviours. In this theory, Goffman argues that individuals often exhibit behaviours that deviate from societal expectations, even if only momentarily. These acts of defiance that subvert or undermine societal norms, according to him, could be viewed as moments of madness.
KWAM 1’s behaviour at the Abuja Airport depicts a moment of madness or irrationality. In sociological context, even the most rational, calm and composed person is capable of acting irrationally or impulsively in a moment of intense anger or frustration. It’s a recognition that humans are not perfect logical beings and are susceptible to emotional lapses. It’s a metaphor for a temporary loss of self-control, a fleeting moment where one’s emotions override one’s reason. The despicable anger that Ayinde displayed during his altercation with security personnel of Value Jet Air highlights his moment of temporary insanity. And it is not an isolated case. Over time, he has assumed notoriety for showmanship, for arrogance, for an over-bloated ego, for a lack of humility and immaturity. Recently, he ignited social media reactions when he made a derogatory remark about Muslim clerics who had converged on his Ijebu Ode residence for the eight-day Fidau prayer of his late mother. Up till date, he never deemed it right to apologise for the unwarranted insults because of his arrogance. It was this same arrogance that precipitated the absurdity that took place at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on August 5. As widely reported, he refused to comply with security personnel’s requests to verify the contents of his flask before boarding the plane. Instead of obeying the standard procedure, KWAM1 allegedly poured the contents of the flask on the security personnel and the captain.
In further display of aggressive behaviour, he blocked the aircraft from taxiing, creating a potentially hazardous situation that could have led to serious consequences.
Though he has apologised for the misdemeanour, his apology does not absolve him of the legal consequences of his irrationality. He showed no serious signs of remorse. In other climes, where there is zero tolerance for disobedience of procedural rules, he would have been arrested on the spot and remanded in prison custody where he would be cooling his heels. In those countries that seriously detest such strange behaviours, he would have been sent to a psychiatric hospital to undergo insanity test. Even in Lagos State, no offender caught driving against the traffic will be let go without psychiatric examination. That’s why there is a reasonable level of sanity on the roads within the metropolis.Wasiu Ayinde’s unruly conduct was deemed unacceptable by the authorities, resulting in the imposition of a six-month no-fly sanction, which has been reviewed to one month, by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.
Even at that, the approach has raised more questions than answers. As the minister ruled, KWAM 1 was wrong to have disrupted airline operations and to have assaulted airline staff. The disruptive action, he said, violated Sections of the enabling Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Act (section 30 for example) and Section 459 (a) of the Criminal Code. He described the incident as “akin to a hostage situation.” Despite the sanction, however, public anger is still raging and it will persist as long as the legal and social consequences of the incident continue to unfold. Questions are being asked about how the recalcitrant musician beat the two security checks before getting to the foot of the plane in the first instance. This has fuelled the insinuation of dereliction on the part of the officials who passed him through the security checks. It will take a while to right all the wrongs.
The reason the issue is likely to be long-lasting is the allegation of double standard that has been applied to the incident involving Emmanson and Akwa Ibom Air staffers. According to the account of this incident, Emmanson was involved in an altercation with the flight crew and security personnel on an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos after being asked to switch off her phone before takeoff. The situation escalated, and she, reportedly, physically assaulted a female air hostess, leading to her being dragged out of the aircraft. While Emmanson was swiftly arrested and remanded in Kirikiri, the ace musician walked home freely. The perceived double standard in the handling of these two incidents has significant and far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s rule of law and public trust. While Wasiu Ayinde is being shielded from the full weight of the law because of his political connection, it fuels the belief that justice is not blind. This undermines the credibility of law enforcement and the judiciary in the eyes of the public.
From the record of his activities in recent past, Ayinde has allowed the politics of association, his perceived affinity with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to get into his head, making him act with impunity. When the public sees that a prominent figure can act with impunity and face no immediate criminal consequences for a serious offence, it sends a dangerous message. If this trend continues, people will internalize a culture where individuals believe that they can flout rules and regulations, especially in public spaces, as long as they have the right connections. This erosion of respect for authority and public safety regulations poses a threat to social order and civic responsibility. The authorities concerned may decide to treat his case with kid’s gloves. But before the court of public opinion, KWAM 1 has failed to show himself as a role model he assumed to be. He failed a simple leadership test. In the Yoruba characteristic way of expressing objection to routine misbehaviour, anyone found culpable of such a rebellious act either in public or private life is aptly stigmatized with derogatory words for someone whose actions are a constant source of embarrassment to those associated with him. It will take a great deal of effort for Wasiu Ayinde to shrug off this stereotype stigmatisation and restore public respectability.
Many are also shocked that Wasiu Ayinde has been made an aviation security ambassador by the Federal Government, an act that seemingly further applauded and rewarded his lawlessness.
