Infamous adventure of a teenage stowaway

TEENAGE stowaway, Daniel Oikhena, chose a despicable and somewhat suicidal way to “stardom” when he left his father’s home in Benin City, Edo State, and sneaked into the tyre compartment of a Lagos-bound aircraft, thinking he was on his way to the United States of America. Unfortunately for Oikhena, the desperate hope of achieving his American Dream was aborted just a few minutes after, when, much to his chagrin, he found himself at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, instead of the USA. 

But what is more worrying is that since that infamous trip more than three weeks ago, the stowaway has not ceased to be in the news. Oikhena has suddenly transformed from an anonymous and undisciplined young boy from Benin to an instant newsmaker or celebrity of some sorts. He has met with important personalities, including the Governor of his state, Adams Oshiomhole. While many have tried to excuse his action on the basis of his innocence, others have, sadly, tried to cast him in the mould of a hero; audacious and adventurous. There was even an offer of scholarship from a group – purportedly representing a state governor – that was meant to help him realise his dream of travelling to America.

This should not be so. Celebrating a juvenile delinquent like Oikhena is a clear testimony of a nation that has utterly lost its moral compass. No doubt, children do make mistakes. Scientists explain how teenagers’ immaturity level in the prefrontal cortex area of their brain harms their ability to make decisions, solve problems, or show proper judgment towards situations. As a teenager ages, the prefrontal cortex develops the ability to function, allowing an individual to obtain motor skills. But it is argued that it is also wrong to pretend that every teenager is immature or does not know when he or she is committing a crime. Some teenagers are fully aware of their actions regardless of age, though they may not be in a position to fathom the significance of their crimes.

In both cases, what is sorely required is reformative action and not undue celebration. If anything, what Oikhena’s delinquent behaviour demands is disapproval and a reprimand. Oshiomhole was on the mark when he announced that Daniel would be closely monitored and mentored in a boarding school environment. He must be made to go through a strong and encompassing programme on juvenile delinquency.

The boy may have succeeded in acquiring instant attention, bordering more on notoriety, but he did so at a gratuitous risk to his life and those of the legitimate passengers on board the flight. If the trip had lasted much longer, it is doubtful that Oikhena would have survived the exposure to the elements at the height that the aircraft would have been cruising. There is also the strong possibility that he could tamper with things that could trigger a plane crash and the unfortunate consequences of that.

Also, by gaining access into a compartment of the plane, undetected, Oikhena successfully exposed the lapses in the security arrangement at the airport, which brings into question the quality of security provided at Nigerian airports, especially at times like this when the country has come under relentless threats of terrorism and other forms of insecurity. What if Oikhena had been a suicide bomber? Is that how he could have successfully gained unauthorised access to the aircraft? Why did the flight crew not heed the warning of passengers who were said to have sighted the boy as he was loitering around the plane shortly before take-off by aborting the flight? These were simple security breaches that had very serious implications for the safety of those on board the flight.

From all indications, it is obvious that Oikhena lived a loose life and lacked adequate parental supervision, which is one of the main reasons for his action. He was said to be a film addict, which must have been the source of his whimsical sense of adventure. On the day of the incident, he was said to have watched films till the early hours, before suddenly disappearing from the house. There is no way a child that is under strict parental care could have stayed up that late, just to be watching films. It is also obvious that nobody monitored the content of the films he was watching. For a child of impressionable age, it can be very dangerous if he lays his hands on the wrong kind of films and tries to act out what he sees in the films. His parents should share in this shame!

For those who are trying to make a hero out of him, there is the danger of promoting wrong values, which could easily influence other young Nigerians and lead them astray. The dangling of scholarships and gifts in front of Oikhena has the tendency to make other youths think that what he did was the appropriate action to take to actualise their ambitions. Not surprisingly, another young man was reportedly arrested at the same Benin Airport apparently trying to re-enact Oikhena’s suicidal and deviant feat, perhaps hoping to also become an instant “celebrity.”

It is expected that the Oikhena saga will give parents and guardians sufficient reasons to take more interest in the activities of their children and wards. Undue exposure of young children to films and the internet has succeeded in eroding the cherished values of the society. Many children have been led astray after being manipulated by dubious characters on the internet. Some of them stumble on materials that have turned them into religious extremists and even terrorists. This is apparently why the US President, Barack Obama, does not allow his children unfettered access to internet and television. That is the example that all parents should follow.