MARCEL MBAMALUThe recent altercation between Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, has brought to the forefront the systemic problems plaguing Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The incident, which involved Oshiomhole’s late arrival for a flight and subsequent confrontation with airline staff, highlights the challenges facing the industry, including poor infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, and inefficient air traffic control systems.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAir Peace stated that Oshiomhole arrived at 6:10 AM for a 6:30 AM flight to Abuja. Still, boarding had already closed according to the airline’s on-time departure policy, so he was denied entry. Oshiomhole claimed he had completed online check-in and accused the airline’s staff of extortion and reselling seats at inflated prices to wealthier passengers. He alleged that other travellers faced similar treatment.
Online videos showed Oshiomhole reportedly resorting to aggressive behaviour, including physically assaulting staff and blocking the terminal entrance, which disrupted airport operations and delayed other passengers. While he framed his actions as a defence against extortion, the Airline Operators of Nigeria condemned his behaviour as dangerous and unlawful, citing the security risks and operational setbacks it caused. In response, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, ordered a full investigation and urged all parties to follow due process.
This incident is not isolated. In 2022, Isa Bayero, a cousin to the Emir of Kano, publicly demanded an apology from Air Peace for allegedly disrespecting the Emir by refusing to delay a Lagos-Kano flight after an earlier delay from Banjul. Although the airline denied the accusation, the event drew attention to recurring complaints about how Air Peace handles VIP passengers and flight schedules. It also raised the question of whether certain individuals in Nigeria should be treated differently because of their status.
READ ALSO: Oshiomhole Lied Against Us – Air Peace Reacts
In February 2025, three passengers on a London to Lagos Air Peace flight caused a major disruption mid-air. Adewale Adedigba, Magnus Ashibogu, and Iwunze Benjamin moved without authorisation from economy to business class, consumed alcohol openly, and refused to comply with crew instructions. The flight captain had to leave the cockpit to intervene, and security agencies were alerted before landing. The three were arraigned in court for breach of public peace and violating aviation rules.
Another notable case in February 2025 involved a Nigerian journalist, referred to as Sam Oma, who missed his Air Peace flight after it was abruptly cancelled without a timely notice. Reports said Oma had booked a round-trip ticket for a burial and meetings but was informed of the cancellation just a day before departure. Despite repeated requests, he received no refund for his N220,000 ticket. Though Oma’s case did not escalate into public confrontation, it led to widespread criticism of Air Peace’s customer service.
A Broader Failure of Trust in Nigeria’s Institutions
Air Peace has also faced damaging false reports, including a viral claim in December 2024 that one of its planes crashed in the Western Sahara, killing 50 people, including a prominent figure. The airline dismissed the story as false, malicious, and aimed at tarnishing its safety record. Dr Ejike Ndiulo, the then Head of Corporate Communications, explained that the images used were AI-generated and unrelated to any real event. The individual behind the claim remains unidentified and has not defended the allegation after it was debunked, indicating a pattern of attempts to discredit the airline.
Oshiomhole’s public confrontation with airline staff, instead of going through management or formal complaint channels, highlights a deeper distrust in Nigeria’s institutions. As a lawmaker, bypassing civil procedures such as contacting the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority or raising the issue in the Senate undermines the systems he helps govern. This growing disregard for due process empowers influential figures to act with impunity rather than uphold the rule of law. Yet, flight delays and cancellations are a common challenge across all airlines in Nigeria.
According to the 2024 NCAA’s summary of flight operations in Nigeria, almost half of the domestic flights in Nigeria, and about 40 per cent of foreign flights, were delayed.
READ ALSO: Our Flight Delays, Cancellations Due To Safety Reasons, Air Peace Replies NCAA
According to the report, Air Peace is at the top of the list, with 7,619 delayed flights out of 15,413 total flights in the year. United Airlines comes in a distant second with 4,559 delayed flights out of 7,794 total flights operated, while Arik Air is the third with 5,027 delayed flights out of 10,699 total flights operated. But then, it is good to point out how many flights that was delayed out of the ones operated.
Comparison Based on Number of Delays is Misleading
According to the report, Air Peace operated the largest number of domestic flights in Nigeria, totalling 15,413. Of these, 7,619 flights were delayed. This resulted in a delay rate of about 49.4 per cent.
According to the report, United Nigeria Airlines operated 7,794 flights but experienced a higher delay of 4,559, at about 58.5 per cent. So, only 41.5 per cent, or 3,235 flights, were on time, making United Nigeria Airlines the least punctual among the top three carriers based on delay percentage, despite operating fewer flights than Air Peace.
Arik Air operated 10,699 flights and had 5,027 delays, a delay rate of around 47.0 per cent, giving it the best on-time performance yet, close to 49.4 per cent. Air Peace delays despite operating fewer flights.
To prove that comparing airlines solely by the number of delayed flights is misleading because airlines operate different volumes of flights. For example, an airline with 10 flights and 9 delays, a 90 per cent delay rate, is less punctual than one with 30 flights and 10 delays, a 33.3 per cent delay rate, even though the latter has more delays in total. Therefore, delay percentages relative to total flights operated provide a fairer measure of punctuality and operational reliability. So, from the above calculations, United Airlines was delayed the most.
Major Factors Contributing to Delays
While airline operators contribute to delays, the biggest factors stem from Nigeria’s broader challenges. While almost all carriers experience delay rates around 40 per cent or more, Air Peace is often singled out.
One major factor is maintenance challenges. Due to Nigeria’s difficult economic and security environment, many skilled aviation engineers and technicians have left the country, creating a shortage of capable hands to maintain aircraft properly. The scarcity of foreign exchange further compounds the problem, as airlines struggle to pay for costly maintenance overseas. That is why Dr Alex Nwuba, President of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria, noted that pilot shortages and systemic issues in general also contribute to delays.
Another factor is economic hardships and maintenance difficulties, and poor infrastructure largely lies beyond airlines’ control. Professor Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, once said, “We pay more to regulators than we earn,” highlighting heavy financial burdens. Poor airport infrastructure, limited gates, and inefficient air traffic control systems cause additional bottlenecks.
Environmental factors like heavy rain, fog, and harmattan haze and even bird distractions further disrupt schedules by reducing visibility and airport capacity.
READ ALSO: IATA Hails Air Peace’s Safety Standard As Airline Secures 6th IOSA Certification
While delays frustrate passengers, is it not better to face inconvenience on the ground than risk safety in the air? An Indian airline recently crashed due to poor weather, showing that delays are often necessary to prevent accidents. So addressing delays requires coordinated efforts, recognising these systemic challenges beyond airline negligence.
Nigeria’s Poor Road Maintenance Also Mirrored in Its Aviation Sector
As it is with poor road maintenance, the same in the aviation sector. No matter what might have happened or how justified Adams Oshiomhole was, he should have remembered that millions of Nigerians use public transport for the same journeys, condemned to bad roads, police brutality, and worsening insecurity.
The aviation industry faces similar systemic challenges. Inadequate infrastructure, outdated facilities, a shortage of engineers, and limited airport capacity often lead to delays and cancellations. While recent reforms aim to improve the sector, including airport concessions and new maintenance facilities, much remains to be done.
Oshiomhole of today is not just a victim of flight delays. He is partly responsible for them. Nigeria’s poor infrastructure and aviation delays are rooted in policies shaped by lawmakers like him. These failures reflect broader governance issues that affect millions, from unsafe roads to unreliable air and rail transport. Through his influence in the Senate, Oshiomhole bears some accountability for why courts are weak, why travel by road and train remains dangerous, and why flying is affordable only for elites.
The government continues to treat air travel as a privilege for the upper class, leaving road travel to citizens impoverished by their policies. This elitist mindset was evident when Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi proposed relocating communities near Abuja’s airport, claiming their presence tarnishes Nigeria’s image to international visitors. His remarks exposed a growing detachment among lawmakers from the realities of everyday Nigerians.
Once a fiery labour leader in the 1990s, Oshiomhole has become a power player in Edo politics, more focused on influence than reform. His role in the 2024 Edo governorship race marked his transformation from activist to political kingmaker, prioritising control over change.
As the country faces deepening hardship, insecurity, and poor governance, politicians turn their attention to harassing struggling private businesses like Air Peace. Nigeria’s aviation sector battles some of the worst global conditions. High interest rates, ageing aircraft, poor infrastructure, delayed plane deliveries, bird strikes, and excessive taxation are just a few of the burdens.
These factors lead to frequent delays, cancellations, and unaffordable fares that drive many Nigerians to risk unsafe roads. Rather than address these structural problems, politicians resort to scapegoating, worsening the crisis and adding to the suffering of ordinary citizens.
Dr Mbamalu, a Jefferson Journalism Fellow (Hawaii, USA), member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Media Consultant, is the publisher of Prime Business Africa
Dr. Marcel Mbamalu is a communication scholar, journalist and entrepreneur. He holds a Ph.D in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and is the Chief Executive Officer Newstide Publications, the publishers of Prime Business Africa.
A seasoned journalist, he horned his journalism skills at The Guardian Newspaper, rising to the position of News Editor at the flagship of the Nigerian press. He has garnered multidisciplinary experience in marketing communication, public relations and media research, helping clients to deliver bespoke campaigns within Nigeria and across Africa.
He has built an expansive network in the media and has served as a media trainer for World Health Organisation (WHO) at various times in Northeast Nigeria. He has attended numerous media trainings, including the Bloomberg Financial Journalism Training and Reuters/AfDB training on Effective Coverage of Infrastructural Development of Africa.
A versatile media expert, he won the Jefferson Fellowship in 2023 as the sole Africa representative on the program. Dr Mbamalu was part of a global media team that covered the 2020 United State’s Presidential election. As Africa's sole representative in the 2023 Jefferson Fellowships, Dr Mbamalu was selected to tour the United States and Asia (Japan and Hong Kong) as part of a 12-man global team of journalists on a travel grant to report on inclusion, income gaps and migration issues between the US and Asia.
