What Sudha Murthy did when called the “Cattle Class” at Heathrow Airport - Inspirational

By 

Vaibhav Arora

 August 10, 2017

Last year, I was at the Heathrow International Airport in London about to board a flight. Usually, I wear a sari even when I am abroad, but I prefer wearing a salwar kameez while travelling. So there I was — a senior citizen dressed in typical Indian apparel at the terminal gate. Since the boarding hadn’t started, I sat down and began to observe my surroundings. The flight was bound for Bengaluru and so I could hear people around me chatting in Kannada. I saw many old married couples of my age — they were most likely coming back from the US or UK after helping their children either through childbirth or a new home. I saw some British business executives talking to each other about India’s progress. Some teenagers were busy with the gadgets in their hands while the younger children were crying or running about the gate.

After a few minutes, the boarding announcement was made and I joined the queue. The woman in front of me was a well-groomed lady in an Indo-Western silk outfit, a Gucci handbag and high heels. Every single strand of her hair was in place and a friend stood next to her in an expensive silk sari, pearl necklace, matching earrings and delicate diamond bangles. I looked at the vending machine nearby and wondered if I should leave the queue to get some water.

Suddenly, the woman in front of me turned sideways and looked at me with what seemed like pity in her eyes. Extending her hand, she asked, ‘May I see your boarding pass, please?’

I was about to hand over my pass to her, but since she didn’t seem like an airline employee, I asked, ‘Why?’

‘Well, this line is meant for business class travellers only,’ she said confidently and pointed her finger towards the economy class queue. ‘You should go and stand there,’ she said.

I was about to tell her that I had a business class ticket, but on second thoughts, held back. I wanted to know why she had thought that I wasn’t worthy of being in the business class. So I repeated, ‘Why should I stand there?’

She sighed. ‘Let me explain. There is a big difference in the price of an economy and a business class ticket. The latter costs almost two and a half times more than . . .’I think it is three times more,’ her friend interrupted. ‘Exactly,’ said the woman. ‘So there are certain privileges that are associated with a business class ticket.’

‘Really?’ I decided to be mischievous and pretended not to know.

‘What kind of privileges are you talking about?’

She seemed annoyed. ‘We are allowed to bring two bags but you can only take one. We can board the flight from another, less-crowded queue. We are given better meals and seats. We can extend the seats and lie down flat on them. We always have television screens and there are four washrooms for a small number of passengers.’

Her friend added, ‘A priority check-in facility is available for our bags, which means they will come first upon arrival and we get more frequent flyer miles for the same flight.’

‘Now that you know the difference, you can go to the economy line,’ insisted the woman.

‘But I don’t want to go there.’ I was firm.

The lady turned to her friend. ‘It is hard to argue with these cattle-class people. Let the staff come and instruct her where to go. She isn’t going to listen to us.’

I didn’t get angry. The word ‘cattle class’ was like a blast from the past and reminded me of another incident. One day, I had gone to an upscale dinner party in my home city of Bengaluru. Plenty of local celebrities and socialites were in attendance. I was speaking to some guests in Kannada, when a man came to me and said very slowly and clearly in English, ‘May I introduce myself ? I am . . .’

It was obvious that he thought that I might have a problem understanding the language.

I smiled. ‘You can speak to me in English.’

‘Oh,’ he said, slightly flabbergasted. ‘I’m sorry. I thought you weren’t comfortable with English because I heard you speaking in Kannada.’

‘There’s nothing shameful in knowing one’s native language. It is, in fact, my right and my privilege. I only speak in English when somebody can’t understand Kannada.’

The line in front of me at the airport began moving forward and I came out of my reverie. The two women ahead were whispering among themselves, ‘Now she will be sent to the other line. It is so long now! We tried to tell her but she refused to listen to us.’

When it was my turn to show my boarding pass to the attendant, I saw them stop and wait a short distance away, waiting to see what would happen. The attendant took my boarding pass and said brightly, ‘Welcome back! We met last week, didn’t we?’

‘Yes,’ I replied. She smiled and moved on to the next traveller.

I walked a few steps ahead of the women intending to let this go, but then I changed my mind and came back.

‘Please tell me, what made you think that I couldn’t afford a business class ticket? Even if I didn’t have one, was it really your prerogative to tell me where I should stand? Did I ask you for help?’

The women stared at me in silence.

‘You refer to the term “cattle class”. Class does not mean possession of a huge amount of money,’ I continued, unable to stop myself from giving them a piece of my mind.

‘There are plenty of wrong ways to earn money in this world. You may be rich enough to buy comfort and luxuries, but the same money doesn’t define class or give you the ability to purchase it. Mother Teresa was a classy woman. So is Manjul Bhargava, a great mathematician of Indian origin. The concept that you automatically gain class by acquiring money is an outdated thought process.’

I left without waiting for a reply.

My Mother's Birthday...

In celebration of my mother Janet Olufumilayo Ojedokun (Noble) of Usi-Ekiti, Nigeria...I share excerpts from my best seller 'I found my voice'......

"You are not Janet Noble are you?”

The burly Caucasian man who was in charge of the office my mother had gone to seek work said with barely disguised disdain. He had sent my mother an interview letter on the assumption that she was white, and he had no intention of employing an African or any black person. My mother’s maiden surname was Noble and hence the reference from the gentleman but she did not let her frustrations show. She went on to enroll in Pitman’s College training as a secretary and busied herself with a few catering classes to improve her job prospects. ..........

My mother was very enterprising and took the opportunity of the liberalisation of student’s feeding and removal of the government subsidies in the 1980s to transform the buttery into a restaurant/canteen where delicacies of various kinds were cooked and served.........

My mother was especially renowned for the plates of beans and plantains and deliciously sauced selections of fried meats prettied with onions, which she regularly prepared. Many students also visited from far and wide in search of her famed freshly baked meat pies and cookies.......

My mother was an exquisite cook and was famed for being one of the first to master the art of cooking fried rice in Nigeria. Many times we retreated into the comfort her cooking and home baking provided and offered. It was very soothing to her as it was to us. I can still remember her immediate response to my father’s death was to retreat into the kitchen and bake various tasty pastries........

Memories are aroused of my mother, a strong and fearless one, attempting to stand up to soldiers during a traffic incident on our way back from school only to be rescued by the ‘messianic’ actions of my uncle, Professor ’Biodun Adetugbo. In 1973 the Professor of English, then a Senior Lecturer, on that humid mid-week afternoon, at risk to his own life fought the rabid soldiers to a standstill. The incident dragged on rather late into the evening before it could be resolved with my uncle ending up in hospital and we at Lion Building. After it all, we thought we had the next day off school, but my mother still insisted we continue with our routine."

Tshegafotso Molosiwo of interdenominational Christian Fellowship

Four years ago I was privileged during my sabbatical time with IFES under the direction of Revd Gideon Para-Mallam to visit this fellowship in Botswana.

To the roar of choruses, resonating with rhythm, ripping right through our souls and with deft dance moves we worshipped God in Gabarone, Botswana.  The lead worshipper, Tshegafotso had a voice so soulful and powerful enough to melt the hardness of any heart, sweet enough to entice you into his presence.

Senator Dino Melaye booed offstage at Nottinghill Carnival

Garba Shehu, Presidential Villa Rodents and Bad PR

By Farooq A. Kperogi, PhD.

Twitter: @farooqkperogi

People who know that presidential spokesman Malam Garba Shehu was my undergraduate 

journalism teacher never fail to email, call, or text me each time his media interventions 

on behalf of the president ignite a PR storm—such as now. I guess it’s because I’ve stated 

many times here that he was my most influential journalism teacher.

Malam Garba is being severely roasted and chewed up by everyone—Buhari supporters 

and critics alike— for saying the president is working from home because “rodents have 

caused a lot of damage to the furniture and the air conditioning units” in his office.

One particularly saucy email I received on Wednesday said, “Someone as intelligent as 

the person you’ve portrayed in your columns shouldn’t tell a lie this dumb.” That’s a little 

too harsh, but I understand the sentiment that informed this angst.

There is no doubt that Malam Garba is one of Nigeria’s finest journalists and reputation 

managers. You need to know him in his pre-Buhari days to appreciate this.  Armed with 

a BA from Bayero University, Kano, and an MA from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 

he rose through the ranks and became everything that anybody would ever want to become 

in Nigerian journalism.

He was Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper, president of the Nigerian Guild 

of Editors, an adjunct journalism instructor who trained generations of journalists and journalism 

professors in Nigeria and abroad, and so on. He also famously managed former Vice President 

Atiku Abubakar’s media relations with the polish, sophistication, and confident panache of a 

consummate, accomplished communicator.

So what happened? Why has his performance as spokesman of President Buhari been 

such a damp squib, as the British would put it?

Before I offer my opinion, I want to make it clear that, as a personal philosophy and in 

order not to compromise my independence, I usually keep my distance from friends and 

acquaintances who have been thrust into positions of political power. So I haven’t been in 

touch with Malam Garba since he became President Buhari’s spokesperson. I imagine that 

my disappointment with the Buhari administration, which is evidenced in my stinging 

censures of the government, must be a source of worry to him.

To his credit, the only times he ever communicated with me since becoming the president’s 

spokesman was, first, to acknowledge my congratulatory message to him and, second, 

to ask me to connect him with Dr. Bennet Omalu, the celebrated Nigerian-born American 

forensic pathologist, about whom I wrote in 

my December 26, 2015 column titled,“Bennet Omalu: A Nigerian-American Hero Nigerians at 

Home Don’t Know About.”

So this column is informed only by my intuition about what I think is going on. There are at l

east two reasons why current presidential media communication, overseen by Femi Adesina 

and Garba Shehu, has been remarkably subpar so far.

First, it’s obvious that both Adesina and Shehu don’t have a robust, direct access to the 

president. Directives don’t seem to always come directly from the president to his media aides. 

It’s usually, it would appear, from the president to a tortuous labyrinth of surrogates before it 

gets to the media team. Most of the times, it’s actually influential people connected—or 

thought to be connected—to the president who dictate what the presidential media team says 

to the public.

 I recall an incident in late 2015 that left me in no doubt that the president’s media team 

members don’t enjoy the respect usually accorded to presidential spokespeople. I was having an 

argument with someone close to 

the Buhari presidency over something, and he suddenly said, “I will tell the president’s media 

team to issue a statement to clarify this.” A few hours later, a statement was issued expressing 

the exact sentiments of my interlocutor who isn’t even officially a part of the government. 

That blew me away.

So, basically, the presidential spokespeople are mere errand boys of Buhari’s shadowy 

surrogates and a motley crowd of official, semi-official, and unofficial power brokers who pull 

the levers of power in the presidency.

No public relations person, however smart he might be, can function optimally in the kind of 

politically toxic and factious environment that the Buhari presidency exemplifies. 

Communication scholars teach their students that public relations is a “management function.” 

That’s why most American PR practitioners insist that they have untrammeled access to the 

CEO of any organization they are a part of. In the Buhari presidency, PR isn’t a 

“management function.”

When PR people have no direct, unhindered access to their principal and are left to divine 

the motives of their principal’s actions and inactions, you can’t avoid the kinds of irremediable 

PR cataclysms we’ve been witnessing these past two years. Recall how Femi Adesina exulted 

in giddy, child-like excitement when he received a call from President Buhari from London 

in February 2017. There is no clearer evidence of the vast disconnect between the president 

and his media team than that incident.

It’s clear that President Buhari has nothing but disdain for the Nigerian news media—and, 

of course, the Nigerian public—which is instantiated by the fact that he would rather speak 

to foreign media organizations than speak to Nigerian journalists. Even when he was healthy 

and vibrant, he had only one presidential media chat—the worst record since 1999.

So when the president’s spokespeople are pressured to explain his policies, they are often 

caught flat-footed, or forced to regurgitate the asinine, unprofessional prevarications of the 

dolts who surround the president. I won’t be surprised if the presidential rodent explanation 

was whispered to Malam Garba by some low-IQ presidential surrogate.

I say this because I know Garba Shehu. He is infinitely more intelligent than his current 

performance suggests. This is no instinctual defense of a former teacher by his adoring 

former student. Anyone who knows me would tell you I am not given to such fawning 

sentimentality.

The second reason Buhari’s media team is floundering is that the very foundation of the 

government it seeks project positively is wobbly at best. It is founded on lies and deceit, as 

I’ve pointed out here several times. There has been no more unprepared, disorganized, and 

duplicitous government in Nigeria’s recent memory than this. This fact changes everything. 

You can’t defend an edifice of lies with truth; the edifice would crumble and crush you. 

Lies attract more lies and require still more lies to sustain them.

A president who won’t lay bare what ails him, who won’t come clean on the tens of billions 

of naira of our national patrimony he is expending to take care of his health in a foreign land 

while thousands of people who voted him into office die of preventable diseases every day, 

who uses his health to blackmail the nation into tolerating and even celebrating his 

incompetence, and who evinces stone-cold disrespect for everyday people can’t be 

defended with anything other than fetid lies.

If I had a choice in the matter, I would have advised Malam Garba to resign to salvage 

what remains of his hard-earned reputation, but I also recognize that it’s easier said than done.

The Military and Social Media

Simmering in the background is the sound of rumbling, with the ocean lashing and splashing, slapping against the pristine white sands. I saunter along side the expansive well-beaten seashore of Catalonian town of Calella in Spain. The crimson orange of the sun slowly emerges, as the cool temperature gives way to stifling and ravaging heat only moderated by the breeze blowing its way from across the ocean.

All around me I am crowded with joggers, making feeble attempts at running off the excess calories acquired from the previous rumbustious night. Whirling away in the background is a singular truck spraying water on the grounds to prevent the dust from rising from the pounding of joggers. 

Here is a land were decency prevails, hard work rewarded and transgression punished. The society succeeds because it is structured, it flourishes because people are free and free speech is unhindered and unimpeded.  This puts into context the recent attempts by a tweet from the so called ‘Defense Monitors’ now identified as fake to return Nigeria back to the era of Decree 2 and press censorship. 

Ordinarily the statement by the Nigerian Army of the fakeness of the handle should suffice, however, credence given to the sentiment expressed by The Director of Defence Information Major General John Enenche on Channels Television that the move at at monitoring became necessary in the light of the troubling activities and misinformation capable of jeopardizing the unity of the country is the issue. 

The Armed Forces of Nigeria must fully understand its role and it must never be conflated with law enforcement or that of the Secret Security Service.  Many will prefer to see their efforts concentrated on Boko Haram rather than on many within the Social media. I support its role as that of the defense of the territorial integrity of Nigeria and its realm, but beyond that it’s a sail against an ill wind that brings unrelenting waves of nothing more but sorrow, tears and blood.

Restructuring through Constitutional Means

I have often told those who care to listen to even define what they mean by restructuring and I can't seem to get answers. Or where we get, the answers are discordant and often tending toward federalism resource control and such.

What I understand it to mean is that we operate a truly federal system of government where every component part control their resources, have their domestic laws , have their own police, legal system , their own tax systems etc. 

The states should be federating units donating some of their powers to the FG to hold and use in trust for them on matters of common interest such as defence, foreign affairs ,citizenship , immigration , currency and economy etc. Let us adopt the USA model. USA practices federalism.

Restructuring or federalism are totally different from the call for cannibalisation of the country.  Restructuring or federalism howsoever called is not the same as secession.

Suffice to say that when Lagos State Government took the federal government to the Supreme Court several times to insist on the practice of federalism from control of physical planning, local government administration that led to the withholding of Laos State revenue allocation, to issue of land abutting the waterways, control of inland waters, VAT, and many other issues , those states and zones where the call for restructuring are loudest today sadly all opposed the position of LASG at the Supreme Court on the alter of politics. We may go back and read those judgements for confirmation.

LASG won 12 of such cases and against the FG at the Supreme Court. That was the beginning of some elements of federalism and restructuring without calls to war or secession.

I recall that I had to lead speak on behalf of LASG in the company of Dr Akeem Olajide Bello , then an adviser to the governor on Legal matters at the Senate hearing on the National Inland waterways Authority Act and made a robust presentation for state control of Inland Waterways and total repeal of the Act on behalf of Lagos State.

A then top ranking and very outspoken and visible Senator from Enugu State was the most vociferous opponent of our position. He even said publicly at the hearing that Lagos State was being too cantekerous and asked insultingly if Lagos was the only coastal state or with waterways in the country that it was so canterkrous on the issue. This is a man whose state has rivers that could be of economic benefits to his state and people.

I educated him before his colleagues and the public in fine and polite language that he was not fit to be a Senator.  I also recall telling him that if he and his state dont t know the rights of his people and state, we in Lagos did and would assert same using the law.

I asked him if he was proud that by the National inland Waterways Authority Law his people in Enugu state will need to travel to lokoja to obtain licences to own and operate fishing canoes on the rivers and streams in the state

I felt he was very disappointing and was betraying his people.  The senator sought to be Governor and is today one of the major voices and sponsors of secession and restructuring mixed up.

Lagos State House of assembly subsequently repealed the National Inland Waterways Authority Act and promulgated the Lagos State Inland Waterways Authority Act and took control of the Lagos Lagoon and its intra state waters.  There were objections and protests from such bodies as Nigerian Ports Authority and NIWA .

Lagos called their bluff and challenged them to go to court.

Lagos used the intrumentality of the law, legislature and intellect to take its destiny in its hands and assert it's rights. It was the series of litigation by LASG that has now effectively handed physically planning and land ownership back to the states.

Before then, the FG was giving planning permits for buildings in places like Banana Island and Osborne Foreshore and in many states of the country on lands that they called federal land contrary to the provisions of the Land Use Act.

Before then the FG was issuing certificates of Occupancy on land in the states.

Before then the FG made a decree which vested and made it to own all lands that were within 100 metres from the shore of lagoons, rivers and ocean including the palace of the Oba of Lagos and all lands on Marina, around Bar beach, River Niger and Benue , Oji river, River Imo, Oguta Lake , Kaduna River to mention a few.

Before then, FG had absolute control over even water streams and rivers in the villages and states.

Before then FG had land registries in the states.

Before then, the FG acquired land in states without resort to the the state governments.

I even recall that the FG was planning to develop a 2nd phase of Banana Island. It was going to sandfill some waters of the lagoon. Lagos insisted that it must get a permit and environmental impact assessment approval from it. The FG insisted that it can reclaim the water because it had control over the outer waters in Lagos State. 

Lagos then told the FG that once the water is reclaimed and becomes land, it will be vested in the Governor of Lagos State by virtue of the Land Use Act. The FG simply disappeared with its tail between its legs. That is using the law and the brains.

Today, if the FG acquires land in Lagos, it must obtain the governor's consent.

Today, if the FG wants to build in Lagos, it must obtain LASG approval.

Today, the FG cannot regulate adverts on federal highways or roads in Lagos. Its LASG.

Today, the Lagos waterways are busy with boats, yatches and hovercraft registered and licensed by Lagos Inland Waterways Authority.

Lagos has has a consumption tax in place without allowing VAT stand in its way. It used the law and brains.

Lagos collects Wharf Landing fees from all sea and land ports in Lagos State.

Lagos collects advertisement income from all federal highways and roads in Lagos along with the local governments.

Lagos used the law and good thinking to acquire all lands and open spaces under bridges from the FG. They are all today beauties to behold from the days when FG allowed all sorts to happen under them when they were let out as garages and car parks.

But for the good thinking and law, Lagos may not have been able to recover Oshodi.

And all these also bring in substantial revenue to the state and yet we still wonder why Lagos State has a monthly internally Generated Revenue Income of well over 30 billion Naira . Over 6 times more than what it gets from the federal allocation that some others are crying over as their sole source of revenue.

And we still wonder why it is the 2nd largest economy in West Africa, only after Nigeria and self sustaining?

Let all states put on their thinking caps and use the law, legislature , judiciary, intellectual power to achieve the control of their destinies and resources and not by beating drums of war and secession .

It shouldn't be by force or might.

Let's use our brains and intellectual resources to achieve federalism.

Babatunde Ogala Esq"

Despite budget of N2m for FUMIGATION services in State House Garba Sheu claims rodents damaged President's Office

BudgIT Nigeria‏Verified account @BudgITng  1h1 hour ago

Corrected: Despite budget of N2m for FUMIGATION services in State House HQTRS, @GarShehu said rodents damaged the President's office.

Interesting Graph Showing Two Churches in London More Prevalent in Areas of Least Affluence

Snippets of a Speech the President Should Have Delivered

Fellow Nigerians, good morning, it is great to be back after almost 104 days away on medical leave.  In due course the precise nature of my ailment and recovery will be addressed by my medical team who will respond to any questions you may have.  

I admit to my basic and flawed humanity and accept that I have not always been perfect in my past pronunciations, only Almighty God is, and I seek forgiveness if my past utterances may have suggested otherwise. I am, however, fortunate and been blessed by Almighty God with healing and recovery and now ready to assume my duties as your President.

However, I must state that in my moments of intense reflection whilst recuperating I was able to clarify a number of issues about the state of our nation. I believe there is an intellectual and constitutional argument for the indissolubility of the Federation of Nigeria and we intend through constant engagement and delibrations to triumph in making that our case.

In the midst of the calls for restructuring and separation I am convinced that there are times when we are and should be 36 distinct constituent states and there are times when we are one republic that has national needs. 

The way I realised this is that Adamawa, Plateau or Borno States did not fight Boko Haram alone nor was the invasion of Bakassi left to Cross River State alone to respond. Some have argued in the name of restructuring that states should govern wall to wall and I will suggest the opinion is valid. 

For instance some want Oduduwa, Niger Delta and Biafrian States as independent countries but all the entities contained therein, received billions in Federal allocation in the last year.  If my premise is founded upon reality, the question then is are those states fighting for and agitating for separation, viable in their own rights? In the name of fiscal federalism will they have the capacity to cater for the basic needs of their respective people.  

My absence away from the shores of Nigeria has taught me that every once in a while, there is a day when we are exposed to what is an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always include human causalities such as the Ozobulu Church massacre for which I have offered commiserations. Other than that, there are not very many unnuanced moments in leading a country that is defined by so much complexity. I wish to assure all and sundry that contrary to impressions generated in my absence I am the President of Nigeria, not the President of the people who agree with me.

I hereby rededicate my self to the cause of Nigeria and promise that I shall for the remainder of my term ensure that I serve wisely, advise prudently, protect with vigilance, judge with care, above all defend with all my heart, all my soul and all my courage the Nigerian people.