Cheese,
I'm sorry to hear of your tale of woe in PHC. I can't say I'm surprised though. If I may explain - I was a member of the team that setup VS's operation in PHC. I was also part of the team that delivered the LOS operation so I am familiar with the differences in the airports that you allude to.
Please believe me when I say that we have done all that we can to try to improve facilities for pax. It was all that we could do (with LARGE amounts of dash) to get the airport manager to agree to allow us to put the office and ticketing portakabin in front of the terminal. Getting the permission for the mobile checkin desks was a similiar nightmare! Any further requests for upgrades and improvements in the departures area including the 'lounge' have so far been met with the usual promises of action but of course we are no further forward.
One does find oneself wondering where all that money we pay in landing fees and other charges goes.......certainly not on the airport infrastructure. Sounds like you have been in Nigeria long enough to hazard a guess????
I can't agree with your assertion that the airlines hold a lot of 'stroke' in Nigeria. All airlines are at the mercy of the individual airport management and any representation to the Minister of Aviation (formerly Dr Mrs Chikwe, now Mr Mallam Yuguda) is met with promises of angry meetings to straighten out the airport managers, but again, of course nothing happens.
I hope you don't mind, but I'll pass your comments on to the VS management team in LOS. We appreciate customer feedback from all sources as it lets us understand your experience and take steps to address issues.
Best wishes for your future travels. It's great to know that you enjoy the onboard VS product. It seems that PHC will remain a bit of a challenge for now, but we are continually nibbling away at the powers-that-be in the hope that one day they will give the go-ahead for the necessary improvements on the ground.