The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has moved to sanction Air Peace after the airline rejected a journalist’s press identification card for boarding at Osubi Airport, Warri, Delta State.
The journalist, Akila Mashat Maren of THE WHISTLER, was scheduled to fly to Abuja on Thursday after completing a two-week documentary project in the Niger Delta.
Maren said he was stopped at the Air Peace counter after presenting his press identification card and was asked to provide a government-issued identification card.
He questioned the requirement, saying he had routinely used his press ID when travelling and had used the same card weeks earlier while travelling to the Niger Delta.
A staff member who claimed to be the manager at Osubi Airport but was wearing an airline uniform declined to identify himself, saying, “The owner of this airline said that’s what he wants.”
When asked if he was referring to Air Peace owner Allen Onyema, the staff member repeatedly told him, “We can’t clear you to travel, the owner has given his order, we would obey him.”
Maren said the situation escalated when the staff member warned that he would be bundled out of the airport, attracting other airline employees who gathered around him.
The staff member subsequently told Maren and the colleagues who had intervened that he must provide his National Identification Number (NIN) or risk missing the flight.
The staff member could also be heard telling colleagues that he had profiled Maren because of his name, which he considered northern, as well as his appearance and hair.
Attempts to identify the staff member who claimed to be the manager were unsuccessful.
Maren eventually provided his NIN and was cleared to board the flight.
Speaking about the incident, Maren said he believed he had been profiled because he is a northerner, as the staff member had said.
“I was profiled by the Air Peace staff because I am a northerner. I don’t think I would fly the airline again even if it’s the last one,” he said.
“I was shaking, especially at the point he said I would be bundled out of the airport. Like, what was my offence?
“You heard one of them saying I kept my beard and hair. As in, what’s their business? How do I dress or keep my hair?
“The fact that I used this ID card while flying to Uyo, Akwa Ibom, some weeks ago and usually use this is what’s shocking.
“My picture was there. The name on the airline ticket corresponded with my press ID. My other colleagues were there. So I was wondering why my case was different, if not for the fact that they profiled me as a northerner.”
When contacted, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, requested Maren’s passenger ticket, which was provided.
Achimugu was subsequently informed that Maren had been allowed to fly.
The NCAA official at Osubi Airport, Chimaobim Daniel, also contacted THE WHISTLER, apologised for the incident and asked whether Maren required any further assistance.
The aviation authority said there was no policy permitting airlines to reject a press identification card as a means of identification for boarding.
“There is no such policy for airlines to reject a press ID card as clearance for boarding an airline. The NCAA was the one that made the law,” the authority said.
According to the NCAA, the purpose of an identification card is to verify that the name on the boarding pass matches the name on the passenger’s identification card and that the photograph on the card matches the passenger.
“The reason for the ID Card is just to verify and confirm if the name on the boarding pass is carrying the same name on the person’s ID Card and the photo on the ID Card is the same face. These are the two reasons,” it said.
The NCAA said the requirement was for security purposes to prevent a passenger from boarding with a ticket issued in another person’s name.
“This is for security reasons to avoid boarding another person with a boarding pass that carries another person’s name. That’s just the reason,” it said.
The NCAA added that passengers sometimes present other forms of identification bearing their names and are allowed to board.
“At times, some people present their ATM Cards that carry their names, and they would be allowed.
“At times some people would just show their pictures on their phones and their names and they would be allowed.
“So we don’t know what’s wrong with Air Peace. They just like causing troubles up and down.
“We will go to them now and after listening to them we will get back to you.”
The NCAA had not gotten back to THE WHISTLER as of the time of filing this report.
