Veteran Nollywood actor, Patrick Doyle, has weighed in on the recent incident involving Fuji music legend, KWAM 1, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. But rather than focusing solely on the altercation itself, Doyle took the opportunity to shed light on what he sees as a disturbing pattern: a deliberate effort by some service workers to provoke or publicly humiliate celebrities.
The clash between KWAM 1 and ValueJet staff reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over alcohol possession, but Doyle believes it may have been more than just a routine enforcement of rules. In a Facebook post shared on Thursday, he expressed concern that certain public service personnel go out of their way to test the patience and composure of well-known individuals, sometimes to bait them into public embarrassment.
Drawing from his own experience, Doyle recalled a similar incident at the Asaba airport where a staff member enforced baggage weight rules in a confrontational manner, despite having already acknowledged his celebrity status. While he chose to remain calm, he admitted it was clear the staff member had an axe to grind, whether due to a past movie role or a misunderstood public remark.
“Sometimes these individuals harbour resentment, even if they’ve never met you,” Doyle explained. “They see a chance to bring a ‘big man’ down a notch, and they seize it.”
According to Doyle, while celebrities often enjoy preferential treatment, those moments are occasionally disrupted by workers who seem intent on sparking conflict. His post suggests these confrontations aren’t always about rules, but rather about personal grievances or a desire to make a statement.
Reflecting on KWAM 1’s situation, he sympathised with the singer’s reaction, noting that he has struggled with restraint in similar encounters. “These days,” Doyle wrote, “I just pray for self-control and the grace to walk away from such traps.”