The above caption refers to Daniel Oikhena also known as the ‘the teenage stowaway’.
Unless you have been in hibernation for the past three weeks or so you would
have heard about the boy from Benin who stowed away on an Arik flight from
Benin to Lagos.
Unconfirmed reports say he thought the plane was going to
America – fat chance, direct flight from Benin to America? Anyway, he should
consider himself lucky the plane did not cross the Atlantic with him trapped in
the tyre hold – he would have died from hypotherma.
Daniel’s story typifies the hardship being faced in Nigeria
by millions of people in the country. This young boy risked everything, his
life, being caught, freezing to death or being crushed to death to escape a
life of endless poverty and suffering and he succeeded! No, Daniel didn’t make
it past Nigeria’s shores but his act of bravery has turned him into a mini
celebrity. Daniel has succeeded in running away from the thing he feared most –
slow death by hunger.
Latest reports say Daniel has been given a scholarship to
complete his education and was even photographed standing alongside one of
Nigeria’s better governors, Adams Oshiomole’s, who seized the occasion for a
good photo-up in the run-up to general elections in the country.
In the very unlikely event that Daniel succeeded in getting
to the US, - now I say, ‘very unlikely’ because at the altitude the plane would
have been flying, he definitely would have frozen to death – he probably
wouldn’t have it so good. Scholarship and photo-up with a popular politician.
He was even well dressed and wearing a wristwatch in the picture.
One hopes Daniel would make good use of the second chance he
has been given in life and make something good out of his life.
If he is short of ideas on how he could reap from his good
fortune, he could always sign a book deal or appear on talk shows. Oh, wait a
minute...that only happens in America, where he was planning to escape in the
first place.
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