Queue jumping as a national venom

So I stood in the queue to board the plane with a couple of nice people who gave me a compliment and attempted to bump me forward. No, I said to them. I would much rather not. Most people know me across Nigeria, and I must be seen to always maintain that role model space. So I declined. Jumping a queue is not one of my things. But to be fair, I have been given my compliments and invited forward a few times, and try as I might, I could not decline because a chorus of Nigerians stood firm for me to move. I thank them wherever they are for the honour every time. It’s humbling.

So let’s talk about queue jumping when it’s not in the honours lane.

I am standing in this boarding queue; this young lady walks straight past 18 people and plonks herself five places in front of me. They sigh and hiss and tell her this is a queue. She makes a face, shrugs and murmurs. She gets away with murder. I am glad she was not in front of me. This dark, ill-dressed tout of a girl decides to repeat the same thing at the foot of the plane. The airline staff apologised to me. We tried to tell her she couldn’t do that. I was four persons shy of her rude interloping. Citizens’ action should teach her a thing or two. I told the airline staff…you are wrong. You should have walked her right to the back of the queue, where she belonged, even if you had to get security to nicely send her back. ‘You are an enabler,’ I told her. She has no business upsetting those who obeyed the law. This is how bad behaviour is rewarded.

The next episode was again at the plane ramp. Just before one steps onto the plane. It was a long, winding queue. We all stood where we had arrived, waiting to be moved on by the cabin crew and security. Two middle-aged persons, a man and a woman, stood by the edge of the queue, sticking out like a sore thumb. They kept moving with us in the queue, so I decided to let them in. Pretty much like shunting forward. They neither turned around to look at me nor said thank you. Just before it was their turn to step onto the plane. One of Nigeria’s big men was escorted to the very entrance of the plane by security and some airport staff. This idiotic twosome started complaining. How can anybody just do anything like this? Will he take the plane to his house? They felt affronted. The kettle is calling the pot black. I chuckled.

Every time someone jumps a queue, we diminish the national ethos.

Who did you annoy today by jumping a queue and feeling self-entitled?

Did you horn and jump a queue in traffic? Did you climb the kerb? Did you drive against traffic? Venom…bad behaviour. Oh, by the way, we all arrived at our destination on the plane at the same time! Those who jumped the queue or were escorted did not arrive before us. Word!