Experts differ on recommended sack, mental evaluation of ValueJet Pilot

While an investigation by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is underway in the incident involving popular musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1 and domestic airline, ValueJet at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, there have been divided opinions on the punishment meted out to the airline pilot, Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and her co-pilot, Ivan Oloba.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, 5th August 2025, when the musician tried to obstruct the taxing of the aircraft after he was refused boarding for trying to board with a prohibited substance, suspected to be alcohol, in a flask.

Ayinde rudely poured the contents of the flask on the pilot and other crew members and later stood on the runway trying to block the movement of the plane.

His action reportedly disrupted standard operational procedures and raised concerns over passenger conduct and airline safety protocols.

While some justified the punishment by blaming her for what they termed unprofessional handling of the matter, others pleaded that the authority reverse the pronouncement.

One of such is her professional group, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), which demanded that the NCAA lift the suspension placed on her and the co-pilot.

NAAPE argued that the NCAA’s sanctions on the crew were unjust, insisting the primary fault lay with the musician, who has already been placed on a no-fly list and faces possible prosecution.

NAAPE President, Galadima Abednego, said the pilots, both with unblemished professional records, acted under intense provocation after K1 allegedly defied security protocols and blocked the aircraft on the tarmac.

“We totally condemn the crude, unruly behaviour and gross display of arrogance of Mr. Ayinde (KWAM 1), which resulted in the whole incident”.

It noted that the intense provocation occasioned by Mr. Ayinde’s (KWAM 1) actions definitely stretched the tolerance of a seasoned and professional Pilot (Captain) who has held an unblemished record.

NAAPE DEFENDS SUSPENDED PILOTS

Rather than punishing the officers, NAAPE called on Value Jet “to ensure that the Captain and the First Officer continue to receive the full support they need this time”.

NAAPE commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Director General, and the Management of the NCAA for their prompt and decisive action taken in the best interest of the flying public, adding that Nigerian laws are in tandem with international best practices.

The body also called on all Nigerians, especially the flying public, to always cooperate with lawful authorities at airports and aviation workers and to always exercise restraints, knowing that in aviation, safety is the ultimate.

He acknowledged that the captain could have exercised better discretion but stressed that punishing the crew while the passenger faced separate legal action amounted to selective enforcement of aviation regulations.

The submission by Abednego that the captain could have exercised better discretion raised the question whether a captain, under any level of provocation, should make such a decision to tax without clearance from ground control.

CALLS FOR METAL EVALUATION OF PILOTS

Industry experts insisted that aside from suspension of the pilots and withdrawal of flying licenses, the pilot needs to undergo mental evaluation.

In their opinions, rudimentary mental health checks may not be a bad idea just to weed out complex inter-relationship behaviours while in contact with others.

It is even suggested that at the point of employment, pilots could be asked to fill a questionnaire in which the examining physician fills out detailing any disqualifying attributes the pilot candidate may have including ‘mental illness’.

It is also assumed that work conditions at many airlines have deteriorated significantly in recent years, leading to an increasing number of pilots facing stress levels that, when combined with non-work-related stress, put them at risk of diminished work performance.

They believed that subjecting pilots to regular medicals was necessary to ensure they were fit to fly. Pilots, like other human beings and professionals, walk around with undiagnosed clinical depression, they assumed.

A professional pilot who craves anonymity berated the pilot for deviating from ethical conduct.

He said, “As a PIC (Pilot in Command), she is the last line of defence in unusual situations like this, and as such, an unwritten prerequisite of her role as PIC is to be able to take insult from irate and unruly passengers without losing your cool.

“In developed countries in the West, de-escalation and conflict management form a huge part of the training of cabin crew, check-in staff, and ramp agents.

“A marshaller will NEVER allow a plane to taxi without the area around the aircraft being free of people and ground equipment. In this situation, I don’t think she got the all clear from a marshaller because of the commotion around the aircraft.

“K1 was lucky as the aircraft had pylon-mounted engines. If it had been a wing mounted engine aircraft like the 737/320/E jet, he could have been sucked into the engine. It will be a different story.

“In most Western countries, the following will certainly happen. She will be fired by the company, and the authorities will revoke her licence and send her for psychiatric evaluation.

“In stricter places like Emirates, Qatar and Middle Eastern airlines, the copilot and any other pilot in the cockpit with her will be fired as well. This is because as far they are concerned they are equally a line of defence.

“K1 will also spend some time in prison and will be banned by a lot of airlines and, in America, he will end up on the no-fly list. This is a case of all the holes in the proverbial cheese lining up perfectly.

“She has also potentially destroyed her chances of getting a job in some airlines outside this country. Some airlines outside conduct extensive background checks on potential employees. A simple Google search of her name will bring up this incident,” he said.

ANAP SAYS PILOT WAS PROVOKED

But the Secretariat General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, differs on who should be subjected to mental evaluation.

He agreed that the federal government should thoroughly carry out serious mental examinations of unruly passengers at the airports henceforth to ascertain their state of mind.

Comrade Saidu, in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos on Sunday, on the recent ValueJet /KWAM 1 crisis, said the pilot should be allowed to continue with her duty while the musician should be subjected to a test.

According to Saidu, “There is nothing wrong with that lady; she has been flying for so many years. She was provoked. Are there no celebrities overseas? ”

The ANAP scribe urged Nigerians to wait for the outcome of her suspension.

Asked if this attitude is not a disregard for aviation regulations by authorities’ concern, a former staff member of one of the regulatory agencies who does not want his name in print said, “what happened clearly showed that there are often ignored signs and failure of the Authority in the aviation sector. It revealed critical flaws in our ground safety protocols.

“Tarmac security rules should be strictly enforced to maintain that no passenger, regardless of status, should be allowed near moving aircraft without proper clearance and physical barriers.

“There should be unhindered, safe communication channels between Pilots and ground crew to halt or delay takeoff if a hazard is present on the tarmac, like what happened with KWAM1”

Regulatory agencies stuck to their guns that necessary measures would be applied at the conclusion of the ongoing investigation into the matter.

NCCA MAINTAINS SIX-MONTH BAN ON KWAM 1

Despite a public apology tendered by King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the six-month travel ban placed on the fuji icon still subsists.

The NCAA stated that aviation rules are designed for the benefit and protection of everyone.

“What I must assure the general public is that everybody involved in this will be brought to book. As we speak, the passenger is going to be blacklisted for the next six months from flying in Nigeria. Aviation rules are made for everybody, for the protection of everybody, said the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu.

The Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) declared KWAM1’s action as an offence punishable under Nigerian law.

The Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria declared that standing in front of an aircraft to prevent it from moving or taking off is a serious offence under aviation and criminal law in most jurisdictions. It poses significant safety, security, and operational risks.

Listing the offence under Nigerian Law, FAAN said, “in Nigeria, this act may constitute offences under several laws, including: Civil Aviation Act, 2022 (or the current applicable Act)

“Section 33 (1)(g) of the Civil Aviation Act prohibits acts that interfere with the operation of an aircraft.

“The act of obstructing or delaying an aircraft from taking off may be classified as interference with the operation of an aircraft, which is punishable under the law.

“Criminal Code Act (Southern Nigeria) or Penal Code (Northern Nigeria). Such an act may amount to: Endangering safety at an aerodrome, Unlawful obstruction (e.g., Sections 68, 69, and 249 of the Criminal Code), Trespass or conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

“Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has security protocols in place. Violating airport safety zones (like tarmac, taxiway, or runway) without authorisation is a security breach.

“FAAN and airport authorities often treat such an act as sabotage or a threat to national security”.

According to FAAN, possible charges may include: “Endangering aircraft operations, Unlawful interference with aviation, Trespass on airport property, Disruption of public transportation services, Attempted sabotage or terrorism (if intent is malicious)”

Consequences include: Arrest and prosecution, Fines or imprisonment, Blacklisting from airports/airlines, National security scrutiny.

Recall that at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 7, 2025, Kwam 1, known as King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, was caught on video obstructing a ValueJet aircraft on the tarmac.