Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, stunned passengers and airport workers alike when he vacated his seat on Aerocontractors’ flight to Lagos for another passenger due to crisis created by the airline’s over-booking.

The speaker and about ten members of the House were said to be on their way to Ogun State, en route Lagos, to assess the deplorable Ota axis of Abeokuta expressway when he opted to use commercial flight rather his usual presidential jet.

According to a source, Bankole’s decision to fly commercial plane was informed by the need to feel the pains passengers go through, especially following a groundswell of complains of passengers against flight delays, cancellations and over-booking.

“The speaker wanted to have a feel of some of the frustrations other Nigerians go through to travel by air, as part of his oversight responsibilities, so that the House will know what to legislate on to make air travel more comfortable for Nigerians.[b][/b]

“Efforts were made by his security aides to make him change his mind on flying a commercial plane to Lagos, especially as it breaches protocol, but he was insistent on dumping the presidential jet for this trip,” the source told Vanguard.

Vanguard gathered that Aero’s flight out of Abuja Thursday night had suffered a technical problem, which compelled cancellation of the flight and spill over of the passengers to yesterday morning’s flight.
Pandemonium was said to have arisen, as passengers from the cancelled flight the previous day and those for yesterday’s flight jostled for seats.

It was learnt that over 50 passengers were left without seat, prompting Speaker Bankole and five other House members on his entourage, including Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Mr. Chuma Nzeribe, to vacate their seats for some of the passengers.

According to the source, the speaker and other members of his entourage who vacated their seats returned to the departure hall of the airport for necessary bookings to be made for them on another flight.
Bankole was reportedly booked for Dana Air flight which brought him and others to Lagos for the onward journey to Ota.

Passengers and airport workers at the new domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, expressed a similar level of surprise as their Abuja counterparts seeing the speaker coming out of the terminal through the arrival hall.

Some passengers who bared their minds on the development said what the speaker did was the ideal thing in other climes, and charged other top public office holders to always come to the level of ordinary Nigerians to have a feel of the pulse of their suffering.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/1/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36853&Itemid=43

Wow, *rolls eyes*

In other countries,this will not b news! anyway sha he did well!

And this made news?? I mean serious news?? lol

Huuray! clap for him!!

_{like duh}

:He did well indeed!! if he genuinely wants to feel people's pain, he should travel by public/commercial bus and cut this hullabaloo

archemedes:

:He did well indeed!! if he genuinely wants to feel people's pain, he should travel by public/commercial bus and cut this hullabaloo

I recommend a bus ride from Lagos to Calabar en route Benin, Onitsha, Aba and Uyo. Only then would he have a real feeling of what fellow Nigerians go through on a daily basis.

Cheap publicity

Cheap publicity

True Word.

Its nothing but eye service, - top deciever.

moneygurl:



According to a source, Bankole’s decision to fly commercial plane was informed by the need to feel the pains passengers go through, especially following a groundswell of complains of passengers against flight delays, cancellations and over-booking.[/b]

Does this mean that he has never travelled via commercial planes before? What does he mean that he wants to feel the pains

Say, isn't Bankole in hot water for a having stolen a bunch of cars and money ?   

For vacating his seat so as to impress watching journalists, patriots will surely concur that all the criminal charges of grand theft, larceny and embezzlement filed against Bankole should now be dropped with immediate effect, and Bankole must furthermore be declared a living saint who should be worshipped by lesser mortals henceforth, with unlimited free plundering access to all state treasuries.

He should have indeed travelled by road. . . .those armed robbers would surely have one or two things to discuss with him.

Newsflash

Bankole’s decision to fly commercial plane was informed by the need to feel the pains passengers go through, especially following a groundswell of complains of passengers against flight delays, cancellations and over-booking

MOFO.

i never knew the speaker uses a presidential jet. thought they use charterd flights

When rich man mess poor man go dey clap

Another one on gullible nigerians. . . the more you look, the less you see.

I am still getting my head arround why A major Nigeria newspaper thought this is deserving of a space in the paper.

Our journalists and News Editor are useless

They play a great part to why the country is in trouble. They can do more in the fight against corruption, good governance or democracy . . . . . but they choose to be psycophants to paymasters.

How can you win the fight against corruption when you can't have credible information in the public domain.

how does this guarantee us 2 hours of light a day ?

Maybe his jujuman or pastor told him not to use presidential jet that day in fear of being blown away.The fact that they are guilty individuals puts them in constant state of fear.

The guilty are afraid.

Give the man a nobel prize for this act of generosity.

again these noble diasporians berates something done, the last time they were calling for this man's head because he bought official vehicles for his use. if this happens in America and is reported, these same Nigerians will ask top Nigerian officials to emulate same, but because he did it first, they berate him. sick folks.