“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

The hairs on the back of his neck were standing, perspiration dampening his clothes all the way to his underwear. Everyone raved about how exciting it was to travel on a plane, seeing the landscape and the eventual opportunities abroad. He had prepared for this moment for weeks, befriending the airport staff, smiling at the air hostesses in their smart uniforms and registering with the usual disappointment of delayed passengers.

He had made it this far after sneaking off from the lazy eyes of the cargo loaders to the only space he could hide–the wheel storage compartment–with the only supply he had–a big bottle of water; in a few hours he would be in a new country, which the chance to make a life for himself.

After over 6 hours, experiencing extremely cold temperatures and lack of oxygen, his dream is just a dream–dead, he’s huddled in a corner, a bleak expression on his face.

This is the sad case of stowaways trying to escape the harsh realities of Nigeria.

In a sad tale, the body of yet another stowaway from Nigeria was discovered on an Arik Air flight at the Oliver Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday. The unidentified “John Doe” was found dead inside the wheel well of Arik’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

The news was confirmed by the spokesperson of Arik Air, Mr Ola Adebanji, who disclosed that the engineers of the South African Airways Technical facility at the Oliver Tambo International Airport discovered the body of the stowaway during the inspection phase of a routine maintenance check.

The flight had departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday at 3:55 pm and arrived in Johannesburg at 11 pm that night.

The latest discovery makes it the third dead stowaway that has been found on an aircraft since 2012.

In 2010, the mangled body of Emeka Okeke was found on a Delta Airlines flight, when ground staff in the United States discovered pieces of flesh and blood smeared on one of the tyres of the plane.

In October 2012, a dead body of another stowaway was found in the undercarriage wheel compartment of a plane operated by Nigerian airline, Arik. The man’s body was found when the Airbus A340-500 plane returned to Lagos from London, but it was unclear when or how he gained access to it.

In September of the same year, a suspected stowaway was found dead on a London street, after it was believed that he fell from the undercarriage of an incoming flight to Heathrow Airport.

August 24, 2013, would be a day that left many marvelled at the desperation that could push 13-year-old Daniel Oikhena, who hid under the undercarriage of the aircraft from Benin to Lagos. He actually thought the plane was on its way to the United States, but the plane was headed for Lagos from Benin and he was immediately apprehended at the airport by security personnel.

“Nigeria: School of hard knocks”

In the wake of President Muhammadu Buhari assuming the mantle of leadership in Nigeria, many citizens have expressed great concern about hunger and poverty in the country.

Suicide rates have been steadily increasing. The latest involving an unidentified man who committed suicide by jumping from the rooftop of a skyscraper building, in Apapa, Lagos on September 6, 2016.

A few months back, a 50-year-old father of two, Ekanem Edet, committed suicide as he dangled from a rope in his room at Akwa Ibom state; his reason–the harsh economic condition.

Some time ago,21-year-oldd Chinonso committed suicide after drinking a substance suspected to be rat poison in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The current economic recession in the country has had many Nigerians returning to the fiercely competitive and overpopulated labour market.

Civil servants have been bearing the brunt of the situation as many state governments struggle to pay them, many have not received salaries for several months. The private sector isn’t faring any better, as only a few companies pay salaries regularly and many are laying off staff.

The rising cost of living and increase in price of commodities have just added to the frustration of Nigerians, many wondering why things are just so hard.

In Africa, Nigeria accounts for the most number of migrants travelling across the Mediterranean, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), citing hardships as a result of the activities of Boko Haram.

Even through legal means, Nigerians are applying to leave in large numbers, as reports show that visa applications by Nigerians to embassies of the Western countries including the US, UK and even the UAE, had increased over the last 12 months.

President Buhari’s administration in Nigeria has been anchored on one word “change”. Pre-May 29, that word held many meanings to Nigerians but mostly centred on a positive tone. A promise that he has echoed in his quest to revive the integrity of the nation, but at what cost?

The current trend of events and tone of the government suggest “things have been bad for a long time, so it’s going to be a while before things get better,” but can Nigerians see the light at the end of the tunnel?

There is daily backlash via social media as young and old take to the only avenue where their anguish can be heard–ranging from desperate pleas for the promised “change”, to others calling for the President to go.

Stowaways are only part of the narrative of how things have taken a nosedive in Nigeria, as people are increasingly desperate for a government that is responsive and accountable to the people.

It also speaks of the lax security at our airports–how else does one make his way to the undercarriage of a plane, in the hopes of surviving all the odds and making it “big” in a foreign land?