By Ma'aji Zazzau

THIS MARCH, air traffic to Abuja will be diverted to Kaduna. This is to make way for comprehensive maintenance and project completion. This happens all over the world when such a need arises. And such a need has arisen here in Nigeria. So wailing on Facebook over what's a global best practice won't work - that's to those whom nagging has become a habit. Una be 4th wife?

I believe that Kaduna is better than Minna in this instance. The simple reason is that from Minna to Suleja junction, it's a single lane highway and it's in a terrible condition. For many years I had always wondered how the many Minna Generals ever get to drive on that road to Abuja without their conscience pricking them. That thought still gives me goose pimples till today.

Kaduna-Abuja highway isn't much to write home about either. But at least it's a dual carriageway and its total deterioration lies squarely on the shoulders of this government - which from its coming to power to date, NEMA has stopped all maintenance work at a horrid cost to human lives - including its own labour minister who was a very personal friend of mine. So that much I know. But with some concerted patchwork, it will still be safer than Minna-Suleja road (being a double lane freeway).

For those who object to being flown to Kaduna (same people who will surely be the first to start crying wolf by the time airplanes start crash landing into Abuja if the maintenance work isn't exeuted) I say cool down. Your ticket and all airport literature always use terminologies like "flight time", "departure"; "destination" "cruising altitude", "estimated time of arrival" etc etc. I don't recall ever seeing the words "LANDING" captured in aviation jargon. So I take it as mere passenger expectation which either party could execute. So for those who feel strongly about not "landing" in Kaduna, you can always tell the pilot to slow down when he reaches your Abuja "destination" within the "expected time of arrival" so you may use your own discretion and do your own LANDING. Just remember to keep a parachute handy. For those of us foolish enough to cede our rights to LAND to the pilot, we'll wait patiently till he voluntarily does the landing for us in Kaduna since we've already delegated the responsibility to him.

By the way, an aviation minister, at one point in this country's history, blatantly refused international carriers licences to fly certain routes and instead sought to influence their business decisions by insisting they should instead fly to her home region. If in doubt, Google it. The stories of that scandal are still online. Heaven didn't fall back then for what was crass nepotism. The same heaven won't fall now for a decision based on genuine concern over safety.

On a more serious note, however, I learnt in business school that the future belongs to those who turn challenges into opportunities. People who see flying into Kaduna as a challenge - particularly quack journalists who've turned the ethics of the profession on its head by 'ethnicising' crime and subscribe to tribal profiling, this presents an opportunity to take a detour to Southern Kaduna for an on-the-scene assessment. It's barely 200km from the airport. And for the first time in their lives, they could practice some bit of factual reporting - instead of sitting down in beer parlours and conjuring up images of murderous bands of cudgel welding, AK47 totting "FULANI HERDSMEN" raiding and slashing at everything that moved, while other harmless tribes scamper into the bushes for dear life (with bare breasted women screaming and dragging wailing children to safety) as blood thirsty vampire nomads unleash genocide.

I know what it takes to make a story balanced. I covered the Ile Ife - Modakeke crises for Weekly Trust in 1999. So I know it's not easy. We too chose not to use the words "Jukun, TIV or Tarok militia" back then so as not to democratise crime among ethnic groups in which we knew the overwhelming majority were peace loving and law abiding Christian folk - to whom fear of God is first nature. Even for the OPC that almost killed me at Orile in Lagos, while I was photographing their mass slaughter of street beggars, almajiris and every kaftan wearing passersby, we still refrained from using the term "Yoruba" by strictly sticking to the acronym they gave themselves. We believed crime has no tribe or religion back then. That's called professionalism. But to get it right, you've just got to do the writing yourself. Don't let 3 bottles of Goulder do it for you. And make sure you purge your mind of Nollywood scenes completely

Your detour could also be patriotic, as you could truly help with the reconciliation and healing process that'll curb a tragic fratricide and restore our country back to sanity - as well as make small token donations to those you ACTUALLY SEE in displaced persons shelters irrespective of tribe or religion. They're all your compatriots - remember?

Should you happen to visit Gidan Maga (a 200 year old fulani hamlet near Kafanchan) I assure you that you won't see any cows or herdsmen. They were all either killed or gone. All you'll see are skeletons of burnt structures that used to be homes and vandalised ancient graveyards. Oh yes, that's my wife's ancestral home where her father, mother and great great grandparents were born and raised. Her 5 cousins were also slaughtered like goats. I was in the office when she phoned to share the sad story. Since the tragic event of that fateful day in 2011, I'm yet to hear her call the criminals by their tribal identity or their religion other than they're criminals and hope karma catches up with them eventually.

Yet, you have the audacity to pretend to care and cry more than the bereaved and churn out inciting publications - adding fuel to the fire. If you cared so much, where were you when GEJ presided over the most corrupt government in our history while thousands were being mowed down in the North East by BH and endemic systemic corruption undermined the entire war effort - yet you wanted him back at all costs? Nonsense!

May God give our country true peace justice and healing across all tribes and religions - and insulate this country from wolves in sheep skin. Ameen!

Naijacitizen:
I don't recall ever seeing the words "LANDING" captured in aviation jargon. So I take it as mere passenger expectation which either party could execute.

Lol he probably doesn't travel much. Landing is used by pilot in every flight. Next where you land is important to lots of customers. Example some customers don't like stopping in connecting flights Chicago. The due fact flights get delayed often because of high winds. Next some people don't like landing at DFW airport because it big and confusing for then. The would rather land at Dallas love field.

The passenger 9/10 knows where they are going to land. It's printed on tickets. This is discussed when flights are booked. Secruity concerns in Kaduna seem like concern but it isn't a war zone or anything.


The infastrure sucking isnt a surprise Nigeria has track record of letting thing deteriorate before rushing to fix any. The rest of article seems fine.