PH Diary: When Air Peace’s Engine Refused to Start

 “Hello ladies and gentlemen, I have an update on our departure time,” the pilot said with a tone that seemed to suggest he had everything under control.

“We are unable to start our trip to Port Harcourt because one of the aircraft’s engine is not coming on."

Thinking of pink lingerie

Ah!

Mogbe!

Engine ke, I thought to myself as I could feel the tranquility envelop the Boeing 777 aircraft.

“We have contacted our engineers who will fix this issue and we should be ready to leave soon,” the pilot continued jolting me back to reality.

I quickly reached to put on my phone to update wifey who was eagerly anticipating my arrival.

“I just bought a new pink colour lingerie,” she had told me the previous day.

That Etche woman I got married to almost five years ago just has a way of bringing out the best in me.

The plan was to get home before 8:30am and collect one hand fes.

Again, the pilot’s voice brought me back to reality.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we sincerely apologise for the delay. The issue with the engines will take longer than we anticipated," he announced.

“As such, we regret to announce that everyone will need to disembark from the aircraft to allow our engineers fix the problem.

“Just in case I wasn’t clear earlier, let me clarify my earlier statement. The valves of this aircraft are like your car key-starter.

“You know when it is bad and your car is unable to start, that’s exactly the type of scenario we have here. It is not that the engines are faulty,” he tried to explain as the anxiety amongst us passengers was becoming more evident.

And disembark, we all did.

Then I messaged madam at home about the delays. At first I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to get her anxious. But I didn’t have a choice.

“What nonsense is this?” She asked.

“They will start making people scared,” she added.

Well, I wasn’t.

Meanwhile, my friend Soliu Adeyemo, who was going to Port Harcourt at the same hour with another airline reached out to say they’d departed.

It made the wait a little more annoying.

I had gotten to the airport at a few minutes past six that morning to see that Air Peace had already started boarding for the 7am flight.

To have this mess and unnecessary delay was not part of the script all.

That one hand way person wan manage wan get K-leg?

Anyway, twenty or so minutes later, another boarding was announced to our relief.

Waiting for second boarding call

The flight to Port Harcourt was largely a smooth ride. At exactly 9:25am, we finally touched down at the Omagwa International Airport.

Fortunately, my hommie, Sanipe, was already at the airport to pick, Soliu and Colin Udoh who was on the same flight with me.

I was already prepared to take a cab home as my brother-in-law who was scheduled to pick me from the airport was unavailable.

Thankfully, I didn’t need to again as we all hopped into the SUV Sanipe brought with our chief mourner, China Acheru seated in front.

China, Madam and Colin

Oh, I didn’t tell you: my friend China decided to kill his father last August. This weekend is the burial rites, that’s the major reason for this trip.

Sanipe decided midway to drop me first before taking the rest of the crew to China’s country home in Choba.

“Tell Sanipe that God will bless him 15 times,” wifey said when I told her on the phone that I was a few minutes from home.

Haha!

Wifey exchanged pleasantries with the entourage when we finally got home.

And just when the conversations seemed like they were getting too long, I told the guys I was going in.

“You wan go collect one hand abi,” China asked sarcastically.

“One hand for where? Since December, him go come back to give one hand?” madam quipped as everyone burst into laughter.

And that’s how we both walked into our building holding hands…

 

To be continued.

Jos Diary: Chilling Jos, Crisis Lagos

 As I stepped down from the aircraft, the gusty cold wind hit me. The sun was at its peak but it was mild.

I had longed for it for 13 years and when it did smack me, it was worth waiting for.

Rayfield Road, Jos

When you have experienced the harsh weather that is Lagos or Kano, having this sea-cool like breeze hit you will come with a measure of satisfaction like it did for me. 

This is exactly why I accepted Doris offer, I thought to myself.

After accepting to make the trip that Monday, I didn’t get any feedback again for another two days.

The same energy Doris showed when she asked for my consent was missing 48 hours after.

That got me a bit agitated.

I needed to be certain if I was still travelling because a lot of things needed to be sorted out.

Tunde's Shot of the Year at Elugushi Beach

Would my newsroom beach party still hold?

How many days will I take off work?

As a rule, I do not joke with my job. It is one of the lessons I imbibed from my late father – Andrew Egbamuno.

“Ufuoma, never, ever joke with your job,” he used to say.

Well, let’s just say I am where I am today, managing the newsroom of arguably, the three biggest radio stations in Lagos, because I do not have coconut head like the present generation.

Haha!

Anyway, I felt really uneasy because a lot of things were left hanging in the balance.

So, I called Doris, late Wednesday evening.

Delectable Doris

"Anty, what exactly are you and your MD doing? Are y’all sure you still want me to come to Jos,” I asked when she found time away from Cool/Wazobia/Arewa Kano newsroom to pick my call.

“Boss, yes we do ooo. It’s just that my MD has been unable to get a flight for you for this weekend,” Doris replied.

“You know how it is na getting direct flights to Jos. It looks like we may have to shift this training till next week.”

A week later, I stood in front of the arrival hall of the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos waiting for the contact Doris had promised would pick me up. 

As I waited for Femi, a middle aged man in an all-black Senator and a younger man walked up to me.

“Welcome to Jos,” he said as he shook my hands.

Yakubu Gowon Airport, Jos.

“My name is Mr. Clinton and this is my Station Manager, Pedro,” the man said with smiles beaming all over his face.

I did not need anyone to tell me Mr. Clinton was the MD of Jay FM, Jos. The excitement on his face gave it away.

For my mind I dey feel like one celeb.

“I have had a really busy day. We just saw off President Jonathan who was here for our event.

“Pedro will take you to your hotel and provide everything you need. I’d see you most likely tomorrow,” he added and then left.

The journey to the hotel was a smooth ride. 

Unlike me, I didn’t have all the time to enjoy the view of the city during the ride because I had a lot of fire to quench.

The Ojodu-Berger accident that killed two students earlier in the week brought with it too many issues.

I had my reporter Emmanuel out on the field trying to follow up a lead we had got the previous day.

I had a bit of a clash with the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos Governor that morning as I was heading to the airport as a result of the Ojodu-Berger story we had ran.

And that Friday was the deadline to submit appraisals of my newsroom personnel to HR.

I never even do anyone.

And just as I got to the hotel and dropped my bags, I received some WhatsApp messages from the office that got me raging...

 

To be continued!

Jos Diary: When You Can’t Say No to an Adorable City

 The ringing phone cut short the interesting conversation I was having with Nnenna, my hardworking and efficient PA.

The person on the other side was someone I couldn’t afford to ignore.

I had just met her about three weeks prior to this day but it felt like I had known her all my life.

“Boss, I need your help,” Doris said with a shaky voice that showed off she assumed I couldn’t say no.

I’m a broke ass, I thought to myself. If this babe is thinking of asking me for money, she better think again, ooo.

I had less than 20k in my account and just over 100k in my 03 Credit Card which I was counting on to pay for my new lenses at the eye-clinic I was driving to.

 “Can you go to Jos this weekend?” she asked with the sweetest sounding voice she could muster bringing me back to reality.

Jos ke, I thought to myself.

“What’s happening in Jos?” I managed to ask

“My former MD isn't happy with every staff in his newsroom,” Doris said.

“My former colleagues are hard working and it will hurt me if this suspension remains.

“Would you be willing to do the same training and more for them?

“How much will you charge?”

Doris Izang is a colleague I had just met a few weeks earlier when I went to Kano for a training. She stood  out from the rest of the park – of course because she was beautiful – but that’s not all.

She just had this radiating smile that you couldn’t help but notice.

And notice, I did.

Since my return to Lagos, we have kept the communication channel and in that short period, I’ve come to realise what a beautiful soul she is.

So, when she asked if I could go to Jos, I didn’t even need to think about it, I knew for a certainty that I would.

All I just wanted to know were the details and what exactly is expected of me.

I had gone to Jos for the first time in 2008 as a final year student and fell in love with the city. I’d been looking for a chance to return and here was someone begging me to go.

Before nko, why won’t I?

Plus, my good friend Andrew Randa and his Mees Palace team were on the last leg of the annual Jos Chilling festival that weekend.

Everything just felt right.

“When does your MD want me to come?” I asked as it was a Monday.

“If you can come this weekend, that will be fine,”  Doris replied.

“He’d sort out all your logistics, all he just wants is a commitment so he can just start the process,” she added.

My newsroom had a beach party planned for that weekend. I had postponed it twice, and it looked like there would be just another postponement.

But Lagos beach party can wait fes, lemme go and enjoy Jos Chilling and cold, I concluded in a split second in my head.

“Tell your MD I will come this weekend but I need to speak to him so I will get all the details that I need,” I said.

And that’s how the plan to go to Jos began.

To be continued...

THANKS WENGER, BEEN GREAT WHILE IT LASTED!!!

 

It’s Tuesday.

Arsenal Players Celebrating 2017 FA Cup Win (Via Getty Images)

It’s the last day of May.

It may be just another one of the days in 2017 for most folks.

But in the Gooner World, it’s not just an ordinary day.

Somewhere in London, a board meeting is scheduled. It’s not just one of your regular board meetings.

This could have far reaching effects in the Goonersphere.

Long serving manager Arsene Wenger is set to know his fate.

Fans' Frustrations (via Daily Mirror)

Will he still be manager?

Will the 21 year love affair come to an end?

Who wins in the ever vociferous #WengerIn and #WengerOut war?

Saturday’s FA Cup win has somewhat reduced the angst and toxic hate that had been brewing for months.

From the zenith of the Premier League table in mid-December to depending on already relegated Middleborough at Anfield to stand any chance of playing UEFA Champions League, Arsenal FA Cup performance on Saturday is just a mirror of their last decade and more: fail when the stakes are high; surmount all odds when least expected.

Youtube Fan Channel: Arsenal Fan TV (via 101 Great Goals)

It’s led to flying banners and created “stars” of some as can be seen from those clowns at Arsenal Fan TV.

Here, it’s led to abuse and insults.

Ufuoma on Nigeria Info FM Duty

Be it on my show on Nigeria Info FM- Football Frenzy, Cool FM’s Football Fans’ Time or social media posts, Wenger hasn’t been spared.

“Specialist in Failure”, “Baba Ijebu”, “Aka Gum”, etc… the list of names associated with Wenger is a bit endless even if I am allowed a bit exaggeration here.

It all adds to the anxiety as we await the decision of the club. Truth is, I have been saying for months that Wenger is going nowhere. I’ve been as certain as death the Frenchman would renew his contract.

That certainty seems to be crux of the matter for some fans, myself included.

Let’s be clear. Arsene is Arsenal’s most successful manager with 10 major titles. On Saturday, he became the FA Cup’s most successful manager with his 7^th victory. To put that in simple context, that’s the same number of FA Cups Chelsea and Liverpool have ever won; 2 more than Manchester City and one away from reaching the 8 that Tottenham have achieved.

But, the fact rival fans are wishing the Arsenal manager continues tells a story on its own.

Wenger’s 21 year service at Arsenal can be seen from three phases:

The Invincibles (via arsenal.com)

The first 8 years that produced some amazing football and great talents but most importantly, 2 Doubles and an Invincible Season plus a couple of FA Cups.

The Famine Period between 2006 and 2012, which quite frankly, I have less misgivings for the manager. I feel a bit relieved that today we’ve all heard the real stories of how difficult it was to survive as a club. I remember the “fights” I had with a lot of my friends, including Arsenal mates, for repeatedly telling them all the 100million in the bank stories to buy players were just what they were: STORIES!

Mistakes were made and maybe the recession could have been better handled, but Arsene deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping club afloat those lean years. Turning down the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and France to stay with us surely makes that Nobel Prize a necessity!

And 2013 till date which has seen the famine all but gone; increase in player quality and less of sale of our best players which characterized the famine years. No coincidence that 3 FA Cups have been won since then or if I go with the way trophies are counted lately, 5 trophies in 4 years Haha!

But that’s not enough!

Wenger and Kroenke (via Daily Mail)

Arsenal haven’t had a meaningful title challenge in like forever. So much that there’s now a pattern: top the table by December, fade away between January and March; but build momentum back in April and May to finish in a Champions League place.

Qualification for Champions League for 20 seasons may be some feat, after all, Liverpool have only managed it twice in last 8 years and Manchester United have been out of it twice in the 4 years since Sir Alex retired.

But when you get smashed 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich or repeatedly struggle to come second in the group and get knocked out in the round of 16 seven years in a row, then maybe, your time is up.

Arsene has in recent days spoken of how hurt he is with the abuse he’s had to endure this season. In fact, he called it a “disgrace”.

"I don't mind criticism because we are in a public job," he told the BBC

"I believe there's a difference between being criticised and being treated in a way that human beings don't deserve."

He added: "The lack of respect from some has been a disgrace and I will never accept that. I will never forget it.

"The behaviour of some people during the season that is what hurts me most.”

Truth is, his seeming arrogance or lack of understanding of fans’ frustrations when he speaks to the press; obvious repetition of mistakes year in year out with no end seemingly in sight; over-indulgence of some players who, let’s be honest, should not be wearing the Arsenal jersey; and the consistent failings in the Premier League and Champions have been too much to bear for most of us.

2017 FA Cup Winners (via Daily Post)

Still, like the manager insists, there is criticism and there is outright abuse. I will never accept anyone who chooses the latter.

As we await the outcome of the Arsenal board meeting which will determine the future of its longest serving manager, I can only say this to Arsene: if the joy of Saturday’s emphatic win over Chelsea is the last time Wenger will ever manage us, then, it’s a memory I’d forever cherish.

Thanks Arsene, you’ve been great while it lasted.