Sowore knocks United Nigeria Airline, NCAA over 11-hour flight delay 

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised United Nigeria Airlines and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, over the alleged poor treatment of passengers affected by a prolonged flight delay.

Sowore said several passengers scheduled to travel from Lagos to Owerri on United Nigeria Airlines were left stranded at the airport for more than 11 hours without proper information or adequate support from the airline.

In a statement posted on his official page, the activist said he met some of the affected passengers after they had spent the entire day at the airport waiting for their flight.

According to him, the airline repeatedly shifted the departure time without giving clear explanations to travellers who had been waiting for hours.

“Yesterday, I met several passengers scheduled to travel from Lagos to Owerri on United Nigeria Airlines. They had been abandoned to their fate after spending the entire day at the airport,” Sowore said.

“Some had been stranded for more than 11 hours, while the airline repeatedly postponed their departure time without providing clear explanations or adequate care.”

Sowore said the incident reflected a deeper problem in Nigeria’s aviation sector, where passengers are often subjected to long delays, poor communication and inadequate care by domestic airlines.

He accused the NCAA of failing to properly regulate domestic operators and protect passengers from what he described as irresponsible conduct.

“Although we had a cordial interaction, that does not prevent us from once again stating the obvious: Nigeria’s aviation regulators, especially the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, have failed in their responsibility to rein in the irresponsible conduct of domestic airlines,” he said.

The activist said many domestic airlines had normalised delays and poor treatment of passengers, adding that travellers were often made to suffer without apology, proper updates or compensation.

“What is even more disturbing is that many of these airlines simply do not care. Delays have become routine, poor communication has become standard practice, and passengers are treated as though their time, comfort, and dignity have no value,” Sowore added.