If We Speak Against The Incompetence Of Some People In Their Duties, Nigeria Will Be A Better Place- Omoni Oboli

Her 13th wedding anniversary celebration couldn't stop her. Omoni Oboli is still
very much angry that she lost a friend, Deji Falae and other Nigerians in the
Associated airline plane crash. Even as she celebrated Omoni managed to pen this
down. She thinks Nigeria should have moved beyond plane crashes due to human
errors, and if we come together as a Nation and move against people who
consistently display incompetence in their jobs, Nigeria will be a better place.
I am Omoni Oboli, and I represent Naija!
I haven’t been this sad for a long time, owing to the passing away of a friend, Deji
Falae. I can’t imagine that we still lose people in that manner. We have passed
through this road of plane crashes and I thought it was a thing of the past, but
here we are again. What’s wrong with us? Where did we begin to operate in this
spirit of hatred for our own such that we end up killing ourselves. Our negligence is
not just an irresponsible act that we need to change but something that could
cause the death of another human being. I’m just so saddened by this incident,
because it could have happened to anyone. No one in his right mind would get on
a plane if there was the least shadow of doubt to its airworthiness. That is why the
passengers got on board.
There’s a process that an airplane must go through before it is cleared for take-
off. Various experts, who have been paid to carry out several checks on the plane,
put their expertise to work to ascertain the flight worthiness of the aircraft before it
is given the all clear to fly. This process has been done by the same airline or
airport staff on ground (not the minister, President or governor) trained in this duty
for years, so that they can ensure the safety of the passengers, who have paid,
and put their trust and their lives on the line, in the hands of the “able” experts to
get on board the aircraft. The unsuspecting passengers get on board without the
slightest idea that some personal issues, incompetence or any other depraved
excuses by the workers in charge that they may be able to concoct under the sun
have made the aircraft their final coffin. I’m trying to paint a graphic picture of the
senselessness, insensitivity to the conscience and wickedness of many people, who
find time to blame the government, anyone or anything else for their irresponsible
acts that have caused the death of the very people their competence was supposed
to protect. We should weep for our many acts of wickedness, which stem from our
lacklustre attitude to work. The most appalling thing of all is that they also have
the audacity to blame God for all their actions, calling it “an act of God.” Why
would anyone call it that, when there was nothing that even remotely suggests that
the plane crashed due to errors beyond human control. True to our Adamic nature,
we blame God and every other thing but ourselves.
If we all spoke with one voice against our neighbours who consistently displayed
incompetence in their duties at work, knowing that the blind eye we turn today
could lay the foundation for an unforeseen disaster tomorrow, we would begin to
see the fruits of that attitude in our nation. This culture of “manage” has caused
many of us to settle for the mediocre instead of demanding the excellence we
deserve. A workman delivers a job that is distasteful to the eye and less functional
for the purpose the job was made to achieve and asks you (the one who pays with
his hard earned money) to “manage” it, because he doesn’t want to be made to
pay for his mistakes with his own money. This is a tragedy because the workman
will never grow beyond that level of competence to achieve excellence in his
chosen field.
The pilot of a plane has the duty to check his plane before he gives it the
clearance to fly. He should not rely on his “super skills” to fly a plane that he
thinks may be less flight worthy than it should. He shouldn’t use the lives of his
passengers to test his skills. There are rules and regulations, and the people at the
helm of affairs should ensure that they are strictly adhered to for the safety of the
passengers.
Today, there are very few airlines operating in Nigeria, thank God! When are we
going to wake up from our slumber and see that there should be few instead of
many because safety should not be compromised and if only the few can deliver,
then so be it.
Many businesses do not see the light of day solely because many complacent
workers are there. They are quick to gather themselves into small groups within the
office to talk about the one who has positioned himself to provide the very job that
gives them the food they eat so that their mouths can curse them. How very sad!
We talk behind our bosses instead of talking for our bosses. We spend their money
to pretend that we follow their vision, all the while trying to see ways that we can
do our own business, using their time, which they are paid for. There’s nothing
wrong with doing your own business, but do it in your spare time.
I can’t imagine going on set of a movie, after being paid, and then make up an
excuse to go on another movie production because I want to make more money.
That is stealing! We should be more diligent and learn to cherish our jobs. Look
around you and see that many others are praying to have the job that you are
showing contempt for.
You will be dearly missed, Deji Falae, and my condolence to the other passengers
and crew on board the ill-fated aircraft. May this serve as a wake up call for
Nigerians to begin the change towards a better future.