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In her decades of flying, Ms Margaret Adeyileka, a middle-aged woman who uses a wheelchair, says the humiliation she suffered recently on account of her physical disability on board a Turkish Airline flight from Istanbul to Lagos has become her life’s worst moment.
In an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, Adeyileka said the incident, which happened on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, left her joy, confidence and dignity and optimism about life in shreds.
She said the flight supervisor she complained to when she had difficulty accessing her seat with a wheelchair, rather than render some help, ordered that she should be thrown out of the plane. However, she said the timely intervention of some Nigerians on board saved her from further disgrace.
“I am a frequent flyer and a businesswoman, who has not allowed my disability to restrict what I can achieve in life, but that incident left me instantly stressed and I wondered if I would have been treated like a trash if I didn’t have disability and a wheelchair user,” she lamented.
Narrating the experience to our correspondent, she said on April 4 she left Lagos on board Turkish Airlines flight TK 0626 for Istanbul en route to London.
She noted that check-in and boarding at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos was normal but on arrival in Istanbul, she discovered the handlers had damaged her motorised wheelchair, her only means of mobility.
“I complained to the people in charge at the airport but they did nothing,” he recalled. “As a matter of fact, it was treated with levity. I decided to take it in my stride as I had a tight schedule in Istanbul before heading to London. I had to get my agent to assist me in getting someone to fix it at my own cost and inconvenience so my movement would be easy. I can’t perform any task without my scooter.
“I proceeded with my trip to London on April 10 on TK 1979. The check-in process was normal and there were no challenges as the flight was heading to London, United Kingdom, where there are strict laws and rules that protect people with disabilities.”
Sadly, that was where the courtesy ended, according to Adeyileka.
She said after her engagements, she was returning to Nigeria and boarded a Turkish Airlines flight TK 1984 on April 26 back to Istanbul to connect to Lagos. Despite the nine hours stopover in Istanbul, she said there was no provision for refreshments or anything of comfort.
However, she noted that the drama started on April 27 as they boarded flight TK 0625 of the same Turkish Airlines at the scheduled time of 14:15 where the courtesy she enjoyed as a person living with disability from the crew between London and Istanbul soon gave way to hostility and harshness.
She added, “I was put on the in-flight wheelchair and was being wheeled to my seat. The aisle was quite narrow, so the wheelchair could not navigate effectively. I was puzzled why they used a large in-flight wheelchair for such an aircraft.
“I requested for the in-flight supervisor’s attention and when she got to me she lost all manner of professionalism and said ‘throw her out of the plane and call me the police’. I didn’t have any verbal exchange with them, so I wondered where that came from. It was just too much for me. I felt treated like trash. I also wondered if it was because I was a Lagos-bound passenger as this will not happen on a flight to Europe or the United States.”
Adeyileka said she summoned courage and stood up to the supervisor. “I told her I was a proud, educated Nigerian and I know my rights. I insisted that she couldn’t throw me out of the plane,” she said.
On seeing the trouble brewing, she said some Nigerians on board who couldn’t stand the prejudice against her rose up in her defence. She said two passengers in the Business Class were alerted to her ordeal and they swiftly intervened and doused the tension.
She stated, “The attention of Hon Faridah Odangi-Suleiman, a business class passenger, was drawn to the unbelievable treatment of a Nigerian on a wheelchair. She quickly alerted Hon Stella Okotete, another Business Class passenger, who cautioned the crew supervisor, doused the situation in a professional manner and calmed other Nigerians on the flight.”
She stressed that without their intervention, the situation could have degenerated into mayhem.
She said further, “Ms Okotete even went further; she graciously vacated her seat in the Business Class for me. She and two other Nigerians on board lifted me from the wheelchair and helped me into her seat while she went to take my seat in the Economy.
Throughout the flight, she and Ms Odangi-Suleiman kept checking on me till we touched down at the MMIA in Lagos. They provided me with the much-needed pastoral care and they quickly restored my confidence with their acts of humility and generosity when I was at the lowest point of my life.”
Adeyileka however said she was surprised that the captain remained aloof throughout the drama, as he never showed up, even after the plane had taken off.
She later took him to task, “When I confronted the captain after we landed, he claimed it was because the flight was ready for take-off which I felt was an excuse for his neglect and ineptitude. I also feel the ill-treatment was because I’m a Nigerian living with disability and on a flight to Lagos where the attitude of the crew is different from other routes they fly.”
When our correspondent contacted the airline for its response, it said the matter would be investigated. Dr Jeleel Odekunle, in his response to the e-mail sent by our correspondent, wrote, “We will investigate the matter and get back to you as soon as possible.” He had yet to get back as of press time.
Also, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Sam Adurogboye, did not answer his calls, while the text message sent to him was not replied to as of press time.
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