• Hassan Tampuli opted to switch seats with a little girl to ease the supervisory role of her mother
• The Gushegu MP was en route to Tamale during the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations
Deputy Transport Minister and MP for Gushegu, Hassan Tampuli has garnered accolades for showing chivalry and warmth on a plane during a flight to Tamale.
It is often quite a rare sight for an adult to vacate a seat for a younger person on a bus in transit. Indeed, there is a conventional courteous practice taught to the young especially in Africa to give up their seats for older persons when they are in transit.
It is therefore unimaginable to think that a government officeholder would be at the center of such an act.
But this was the exact situation as witnessed by passengers of Africa World Airlines on Tuesday, the morning of the Eid-ul-Adha celebrations who were en route to Tamale.
Clad in a flowing gown, masked up as a COVID-19 safety protocol, and topping it up with a hat, it was a herculean task to make the identity of Mr Hassan Tampuli.
Ace investigative journalist Manasseh Azure who was also aboard the flight took to his Facebook wall to detail the encounter which happened on the plane.
Manasseh, full of admiration for the former National Petroleum Authority CEO disclosed that:
“On the flight, he occupied the right side of the seats, which had a single seat. Adjacent to him was the first row on the left side of the aircraft, which had two passengers.
As with boarding airplanes, one sometimes has to wait for some time while others stuff the overhead compartments with carry-on luggage before sitting. It was while I waited in the boarding traffic that I eavesdropped the conversation between this man and the woman to his right side even though I had move behind them.
The woman greeted him and he responded heartily, perhaps, paving the way for her request that would follow.
The woman was travelling with her daughter, about 8 years old. Her daughter was drowned in the seat behind the man. The woman wanted this man to vacate his seat and trade places with her daughter so that she could have her eyes on her during the flight.
This isn’t an extraordinary request, but the enthusiasm and love with which the man did it lighted my heart.
“Oh sure,” he said and got up before the woman finished her request.
“Princess,” he called the little girl, “please, come and sit here,” he said, and helped the girl to his previous seat before taking his new seat.”
Several people have reacted to the story and commended the Member of Parliament for Gushegu the random act of kindness and warmth.
Read the full narration as posted by Manasseh below:
On the first Africa World flight that landed in Tamale that Tuesday morning, there was a man whose outfit should have suggested that he was an important somebody. But it was a day of the Eid-ul-Adha and so it was not uncommon to see men dressed elegantly in flowing gowns, similar to the one worn by the man in this photograph.
He was wearing a mask, so not many would recognise him. Even if he had had a customised head like that of Anny Kareem-Abdi Osabutey, the Jacob Zuma-like contours would have been wrapped in a hat, further masking his identity.
On the flight, he occupied the right side of the seats, which had a single seat. Adjacent to him was the first row on the left side of the aircraft, which had two passengers.
As with boarding airplanes, one sometimes has to wait for some time while others stuff the overhead compartments with carry-on luggage before sitting. It was while I waited in the boarding traffic that I eavesdropped the conversation between this man and the woman to his right side even though I had move behind them.
The woman greeted him and he responded heartily, perhaps, paving the way for her request that would follow.
The woman was travelling with her daughter, about 8 years old. Her daughter was drowned in the seat behind the man. The woman wanted this man to vacate his seat and trade places with her daughter so that she could have her eyes on her during the flight.
This isn’t an extraordinary request, but the enthusiasm and love with which the man did it lighted my heart.
“Oh sure,” he said and got up before the woman finished her request.
“Princess,” he called the little girl, “please, come and sit here,” he said and helped the girl to his previous seat before taking his new seat.
Sometimes, it isn’t the big things that matter. The little acts of kindness we show to our fellow humans and how we do them demonstrate our respect for humanity, especially when the actor is a person in a leadership position. The do-you-know-who-I-am? arrogance people carry around doesn’t make us any better.
This man I’m talking about is the immediate past CEO of the National Petroleum Authority, the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament for Gushiegu and Deputy Minister of Transport, Hassan Tampuli.
Sir, if you had been arrogant, someone would have noticed and talked about it somewhere. And I feel I should draw your attention to this one too, especially when you didn’t do it for the cameras or for votes.
That was an Honourable act. Keep it up.
Deputy Transport Minister and MP for Gushegu, Hassan Tampuli