Passengers on board an Abuja-bound aircraft from Lagos sometime last week were thrown into commotion at the sight of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, in the economy class of the aircraft.
The deputy governor was scheduled to attend an official function in Abuja on that day but all the airlines contacted said that only tickets for economy class were available. Determined to make the trip, Hamzat told his aides that he did not mind flying with economy ticket.
As he stepped into the aircraft, the passengers he met on board could not believe their eyes. They whispered to one another in curiousity, wondering if the passenger they beheld was indeed the deputy governor of Lagos State.
Curious passengers who had managed to keep their composure later swooped on Hamzat as soon as the aircraft landed in Abuja, to ascertain that they were not seeing a ghost.
“Your Excellency, what is going on?” one of them asked in a tone of genuine concern. “Is Lagos so broke now that the Deputy Governor is flying economy? Is it really true that someone has gone away with all the money?”
An amused Hamzat smiled in response, explaining that he needed to make an urgent trip and got the seat that was available. “What is important is that I wanted to be in Abuja and I am in Abuja,” he said.