With N50 we could fly the Nigerian Airways – Major-General Isa

 Major-General Mohammed Dan’Hanne Isah retired as the commandant of the Infantry Centre and School (ICS) after serving in many capacities in the army. He recalled the good old days of Nigeria’s national carrier – the Nigerian Airways, – bemoaned the present situation of the aviation industry and disclosed why he stopped flying Nigerian airplanes. Infantry […]

 Major-General Mohammed Dan’Hanne Isah retired as the commandant of the Infantry Centre and School (ICS) after serving in many capacities in the army. He recalled the good old days of Nigeria’s national carrier – the Nigerian Airways, – bemoaned the present situation of the aviation industry and disclosed why he stopped flying Nigerian airplanes.
Infantry and warfare instructor, Major-General Mohammed Dan’Hanne Isah (retired) is renowned in the military for training many soldiers on endurance trekking and the art of carrying arms and other supplies in the bush, desert and mountains.
 The retired soldier, who said he had reservations for aircraft operating in Nigeria, prefers travelling by road. He added that travelling by road affords him the opportunity to know Nigeria better by understanding the terrain, especially as the experience is needed for military operations.
 Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday on why he has concerns about Nigerian airplanes, General Isa said, “My reservations are the behaviours of some staff members of these airlines. It is very appalling that most of them lack courtesy. And the way touts hang around airports is terrible. Those conveying your luggage do not handle them with caution – they throw them away as if they were empty and worthless. The most annoying thing is the cancellation of flights without any prior notice and apology.’’
 Recounting one of his harrowing experiences, the retired General explained how his Aide De Camp (ADC) while he was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division in Enugu in 2009 took him to the airport but got to Abuja by road before him. He was travelling to Abuja for a conference from Enugu via Owerri airport.
 He said his ADC got to Abuja at noon while he was still waiting for the plane, which was billed to take off by 1pm. According to him, the operators of the aircraft did not offer any apology, neither was there any information nor refreshment of any kind.  And the flight was delayed for several hours. At last, the plane left Owerri by 5 o’clock. He said the incident instantly discouraged him from patronising operators of Nigerian planes, adding that he couldn’t understand why he should be subjected to suffering as a result of other people’s negligence of duty.
 Again, according to the general, he was to fly from Enugu to the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos to see his wife who would fly from Kaduna on her way to Umra (lesser pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, the local airline delayed his flight to Lagos for three hours, but the time-conscious foreign airline took off without waiting for one person they were not sure of. It was the air commandant that assisted him to reschedule another flight while he paid an extra charge.
  He further told our reporter that he stopped patronising commercial planes operating in Nigeria since 2010.
 He regretted how the Nigerian national carrier, the Nigerian Airways went into oblivion, leaving Nigerians at the mercy of privately owned local commercial airlines and other countries’ national carriers. He said the Nigerian Airways was fantastic to fly during its hey days, adding that a flight from Kaduna to Lagos was N50 during the economy boom in Nigeria. According to him, managers of the airline never delayed flight schedules as they would take off at the appropriate time, even as the pilots and crew members were smart, polite and friendly. He said his international trip from Nigeria to Egypt on the Nigerian Airways in 1983 was quite memorable.
 Speaking further, the retired General said he was in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s move to revive the national carrier, saying it would be a huge boost to the country’s economy and employment generation. He cited the example of Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa who have abundantly tapped the resources in the aviation industry in Africa to boost their economies through their national carriers. He said the federal government could do the same thing by reviving its national carrier.