MURTALA MOHAMMED INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND PANHANDLING CULTURE.

Airport is an important infrastructure and one of the first points of contact or gateway that any visitor to a jurisdiction, Nation, or Country gets a feel of the culture and social norms prevalent in such an entity.

The first observable impression a visitor takes away when entering or exiting Nigeria is dissatisfaction or dissapointment when and if by juxtapositioning expected global standard experienced in Europe and other Western countries with the shambled behavioural paradigms exhibited amongst and by various operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

I am bold to say that no aspect or gateway within the Murtala Muhammed International Airport operation is spared from this cancerous misbehaviour of panhandling or begging for money from travellers or visitors in a syndicated intimidatory mannerism.
It does not matter to the Airport Mafioso anymore whether you as a visitor or travellers have acted lawfully, all they are after is to do everything possible to extort money from travelling public at every gateway within Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

My experience last week while returning to Europe after 4weeks on vacation in Nigeria left me with a culture shock wondering whether the war on corruption is getting to the grassroot or are we just chasing the shadow of a deep rooted evil.

My candid opinion is that most Nigerians are acting along the threshold of business as usual and I don't care mentality. I was confronted at every gateway with officials or operatives asking me "Ojukoroju" for money panhandling and when I refused I was threatened and intimidated but being who I am I refused to be intimidated and made it vividly known to them that I do not partake in such dishonourable act of bribery or given tip as consideration in the course of doing a legitimate duty that you are lawfully paid to do especially when such tip was/is requested for and not voluntarily given.

Sincerely speaking I do not give tip because it encourages corruption. Furthermore, there is a cloudy line between the act and bribery or any fraudulent propensity. It is a matter of principle.

The expression on the faces of the operatives and body languages of Airport officials reflect culture shock because they cannot comprehend my blunt refusal to give neither voluntary nor involuntary tip because for me the fight against corruption is not a slogan but a matter of principle.

In conclusion the National Orientation Agency of Nigeria needs to sensitize Nigerians to move away from the culture of given tip, bribery or fradulently influencing decisions for short time gains so common amongst the populace because while I was adamant with my uncompromising attitude to fraudulent machination at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport some fellow Nigerians were at the same spot openly engaged in dishonourable behaviour of given bribe thereby encouraging corruption.

Hammed Ali (Rtd) and Immigration Comptroller General, Mohammed Babandede must shift the focus of their anti corruption drive to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport because what I and many travellers were exposed to was/is not good for the image of Nigeria.

CORRUPTION I WISH IS NOT IN MY COUNTRY.

OTUNBA ADE ILEMOBADE is a philosopher
Twitter: @pearl2prince