‘Nigeria is a resilient market’

The Country Manager, Nigeria for British Airways, Mr Kola Olayinka has described the Nigerian market as a resilient one in view of its uniqueness compared to other countries in terms of air travel.

In a chat with some journalists in Lagos, Olayinka who was talking about the activities of the British mega carrier in Nigeria, emphasized the importance of a travel.

The airline chief who declared that the airline was not doing badly in Nigeria confirmed that Nigeria’s economy was picking up.

Attributing the continuous presence of the mega carrier in Nigeria to its success so far, Olayinka declared “We have over 32 airlines in the Bill Settlement Plan (BSP) today. A few left. One of mine left but majority are still here. Let me tell you, if we are not doing very well, we won’t be here. Nigeria is a resilient market.”

While confirming Nigeria’s traveling strength, he said “Anywhere you go in the world, you will always find a Nigerian. I once travelled to Seychelles and as we landed, I was telling my wife that there cannot be a Nigerian here. Lo and behold, the taxi driver that came to pick us was a Nigerian. He was a black man so we thought he could be from another country but not a Nigerian. We were coming from Kenya, It was Kenya Airways, so he thought we were Kenyans and we said we are Nigerians. He screamed and said we are brothers. He was working in the Ministry of Lands there. He said he is a Professor. He was the one selling all their lands. This is an island where they do not wear shoes. We went from the state capital to a place called Ladik. People were walking with bare feet. We are adventurous, smart and resilient. Nigerians really travel.

“Nigeria is a resilient market. We have the number, we are resourceful. We are not like some African countries when you get on the airplane, the people you get to see are other nationals but on Nigerian routes, the people you see are Nigerians and a few other nationals. We are smart, we are travelers.”

Speaking on the importance of air travel to businesses, Olayinka stated: “Let’s be very honest as Nigerians, looking at this economy, almost everybody is rationalizing. Let’s take it from the family unit. Sometimes I say to the kids you are not going, this is what I can afford. Everybody is doing that. The small businesses need to travel. Business is still transacted not on the phone but by shaking hands and no matter how much you use technology, you cannot it is not easy for you to shake hands. You have to be there to sign the deal. Children who are in school must come home. The school will close. They can’t sleep on the street. It is an indication that things are getting better. How many airlines do we have operating into Nigeria? Look at the size of our Billing Settlement Plan (BSP). They are in billions. We have over 32 airlines in BSP today. A few left. One of mine left but majority are still here. Let me tell you, if we are not doing very well, we won’t be here.”