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Nigeria’s Airlines Are Hitting Turbulence on the Ground By Prince Adeyemi Aseperi-Shonibare
When a passenger’s dignity is stripped mid-flight, the damage goes far beyond one viral video.
By Prince Adeyemi Aseperi-Shonibare
On a recent Ibom Air flight, a quiet dispute over a phone’s airplane mode spiraled into one of the most humiliating passenger experiences in Nigerian aviation history. Comfort — a paying passenger with no record of disruption — was ordered by crew to switch off her phone before takeoff. According to eyewitnesses, including fellow passenger Tunde A. Ibrahim, she complied, but the interaction was tinged with unusual hostility.
“She had already put it in airplane mode,” Ibrahim recalls. “There was no shouting, no scene — just the crew insisting she switch it off completely. You could see she felt singled out.”
What should have been a minor procedural reminder escalated into an abuse of power. Comfort was forcibly removed from the aircraft, partially undressed in the process, filmed without consent, and had her dignity broadcast on social media. One video even shows a male staff member deliberately pulling at her dress to expose her breast. The footage — apparently leaked from within airline personnel — is a gross violation of privacy, human rights, and Nigerian criminal law.
Bringing her private videos and pictures to the public to paint her as a “wayward woman” is nothing more than a calculated distraction. Her personal life is her business. It is irrelevant to the violent and degrading treatment she suffered.
A Pattern in the Skies
This is not the first time Nigerian airlines have clashed with passengers over arbitrary or self-serving rules. Only days ago, Senator Adams Oshiomhole confronted another airline for habitually closing boarding counters before the official time — only to resell “closed” seats at inflated rates to desperate travelers. That practice, long whispered about, deserves its own investigation. Comfort’s ordeal is simply the ugliest manifestation of a deep-rooted rot.
Several passengers from the same Ibom Air flight have now spoken up, confirming that Comfort was the victim, not the villain, as the airline’s PR narrative would have us believe.
They say the treatment she endured was unnecessary, excessive, and targeted.
The Law Is Clear
Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees the right to dignity of the human person. Stripping, photographing, and broadcasting a passenger’s nakedness without consent is not just indecent — it is criminal under the Cybercrimes Act, the Criminal Code, and privacy laws. Even a so-called “ban” from an airline or association raises constitutional red flags.
Globally, courts have ruled that powerful institutions cannot arbitrarily exclude citizens from public services without due process. In one landmark U.S. case, a woman successfully challenged an international organization’s discriminatory membership rule — forcing them to change. The principle is universal: rules that trample fundamental rights are unlawful, no matter who makes them.
The Psychological Fallout
Public humiliation leaves scars no apology can erase. Being forcibly undressed, filmed, and mocked online can trigger post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, and deep depression. In Nigeria, such stigma can also destroy a woman’s reputation, livelihood, and social safety net. What has been done to Comfort is the same kind of cruelty that has pushed many victims toward suicide — especially when those in power join in victimizing them instead of offering protection.
A Call to the Minister of Aviation — and the First Lady
Hon. Minister Festus Keyamo, SAN this is not a routine passenger complaint. It is a test of whether your ministry will protect citizens from the abuse of corporate power. The manifest of that flight exists. Obtain it. Speak to every willing passenger witness. Make a public statement. And most importantly, deliver justice — swiftly.
To Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, women lawmakers, and our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu: your intervention could help Comfort heal from a trauma no citizen should endure. She need not be the daughter of a prominent person to get justice from her oppressors. Let us protect her the way we would protect the daughter of a president or minister — because that is what makes citizens proud of their countries in the developed world. There, protection under the law is not tied to status, but to humanity.
“She could have been your sister. She could have been mine. Today it is Comfort. Tomorrow, it could be any of us.”
Finally, the Federal Government should mandate airlines to display toll-free numbers and email addresses for passengers to report abuses. Every Nigerian boarding a plane should know: your rights do not end at the boarding gate.
If no decisive action is taken — if no penalties are imposed on the individuals and systems that allowed this — the skies over Nigeria will remain dangerous, not because of turbulence in the air, but because of turbulence on the ground.
“Dignity is not a privilege you grant when convenient. It is a right you are bound to protect — always, everywhere, without compromise.”
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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC
….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba
APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.
Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.
According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”
” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”
” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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