NIGERIANS STRANDED AT UK AIRPORT
-ASKED TO DONATE £40 EACH TO FUEL PLANE TO LAGOS
Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim’s airline, Air Nigeria, has allegedly abandoned many Nigerian passengers in the United Kingdom; those abandoned told Islanders on Tuesday.
The abandoned passengers, now struggling to raise air fares in the UK to return home, had purchased return tickets beyond 10th of September, before Jimoh Ibrahim summarily sacked about 800 workers and grounded his airline on Monday.
Among those abandoned is Mr. Funsho Arogundade, a correspondent with The News magazine and P.MNEWS who travelled on 25th August and was booked to return to Nigeria on the 16th of September but the airline stopped operating flights yesterday, 10 September.
He spent N165, 000 for a round trip via Air Nigeria but the airline officials have vanished from the airport and have also stopped picking calls.
Arogundade said close to a thousand people might be affected by the sudden decision of Air Nigeria to stop flying.
He said many passengers had booked return flight tickets directly from Air Nigeria and were scheduled to return in weeks or months but had not heard from Air Nigeria since it announced that it would stop flying.
Arogundade said that many Nigerians who approached the Nigerian High Commission in London were told that there was no help for them there as officials were not aware of the details.
He said: "I was booked to return to Lagos on 16 September but when I heard that Air Nigeria will stop flying from 10th of September, I rushed to Gatwick Airport which is far away from Essex where I am now stranded.
"On getting to the airport, I could not easily locate the Air Nigeria desk since they have no office at the airport. When I and other passengers eventually located the Air Nigeria stand, the only person there said he had no information for us and gave us two numbers (02074404800 and 02076286578) to call.
"We called the two numbers all through that day, and it was busy. The following day, one of the numbers went through and it turned out to be one of Air Nigeria’s agents in London.
"After explaining my situation to the agent, who sounded like an Indian, he told me that the airline had gone bankrupt and there was nothing they could do.
"He gave me another number (02074488400). Ever since, I had been calling the number but there is no response from the other end.
"I didn’t return to Gatwick until Friday 7th September. While there, there was no Air Nigeria official around and snooping around, I heard that another plane will come the following day (Saturday) and seeing the huge crowd of other Air Nigeria passengers that were waiting to be airlifted on that day alone with no concrete assurance that a plane will come, I opted to source for alternative from my friends around.
"Already, the trip from the part of London where I stay to Gatwick through train and bus which cost me about £40 each for two different days that I went to the airport.
"Thus, I have resigned to fate and look for alternative. Already, I had to buy another Arik Air one-way ticket to Lagos for £410." Arogundade said that those who have no money to buy tickets have been abandoned with no option to come back home and no information from Air Nigeria
Another person who spoke to us from Gatwick Airport London last week on Air Nigeria... "I’m at Gatwick airport now to drop off my brother who came visiting on Air Nigeria, the dying airline official (a Nigerian is demanding £100 from stranded passengers before checking them in to a plane that is not even on ground yet) Why? because they have cut short their holiday to fly home early, the charge is for allegedly changing their date. I told my brother to remain in line that if anything the airline should be paying him and apologizing for breach of contract. Anyway, when we got to check in, I demanded to have a word with whoever was the most senior on shift, guess what? It was the same Nigeria guy, I then brought out my Identity card, told them they are operating in an environment where customer is king and the law is clear, I refuse to leave the counter until we are served, I'm an IT guy at the office of fair trading by the way, I called the
police number and shortly two airport policemen surfaced. That was when all those that had paid started voicing out. Eventually, common sense prevailed and they started checking people with ticket in. I parted with 70 quid though for one 24kg excess collected in cash as the other 100 quid. "I'm sending you this as news to alert other people and to also let you know that the airline staff (white or black are as doggy as the owner". Excess luggage was 32quid before the irresponsible owner announced its demise. I just pray my brother and everyone else make it back home safely because you can imagine the state of mind of the pilot who knows he’s jobless from the 10th of September."
All efforts to speak with the CEO of the Air Line, Jimoh Ibrahim proved abortive as he refused to pick our calls or respond to our text messages.
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