By Matthew Mahmood
The recurring plane mishaps in Nigeria is frightening especially as another plane (Kabo Air) almost crashed the day after a charter plane crashed in Lagos, killed '16' people and left 'four' survivors last Thursday. A lot of people are now scared to travel by air in Nigeria.
The history of plane crashes in Nigerian is synonymous with black boxes that are usually recovered but cannot adequately lead to the cause of the disaster. The charter plane was heading to Ondo state with passengers and the corpse of former Ondo State Governor Olusegun Agagu before the crash. The late governor was finally buried the next day.
It was a plane crash which led the to social media speculation and rumour mongering. The wrong impression was that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s son Gbenja Obasanjo had died in the crash and Olusegun Agagu’s son Feyi Agagu was also mistakenly reported dead on the internet. Olusegun Obasanjo said his son was not in Lagos but in Abuja therefore why was he mistakenly reported dead? The amount that died jumped to 16 and down to 13 and up again. In fact, the amount kept on fluctuating and some Nigerians became panicky worldwide while the people of Akure in Ondo State were shown crying and rolling on the floor at Agagu’s proposed lying-in-state venue on TVC News (Sky Channel 572). CNN also reported the plane crash which was shocking! According to news reports a pastor allegedly predicted the crash and told the community to pray in advance in order to avert a disaster but the air crash still occurred.
The Okusanja family is a family of prominent celebrity undertakers in Nigeria and was the undertaker for the proposed funeral of Olusegun Agagu. Sadly, father and son aka Tunji Okusanja Sr and Jr died in the plane crash with four employees. The son of prominent politician Chief Olu Falae, a commissioner in Ondo State Deji Falae was also among the dead.
May God give the families of the late plane crash victims the fortitude to bear the loss of their loved ones? Last year, 163 people perished in Dana Air crash but it seems that proper regulation is not in place to check defaulters and ensure the safety of air passengers in Nigeria. The National Assembly is fond of investigating air mishaps instead of amending the legislation in favour of vulnerable passengers who are dying in droves. Airlines that have constant air crashes should be penalised and grounded in order to avoid further untimely deaths for a reasonable length of time.
The Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah can easily argue that she is not a regulator. She is actually one of the 'backbones' of the slow Goodluck Jonathan led government because she is working tirelessly to launch a new airline before the end of the year which is to replace the defunct Nigeria Airways regardless of the fact that she was used to an instrument of power show to impound the aircrafts of two governors on the order of the presidency. One of the governors is not a troublemaker because he could have used his connection to 'retaliate' on her private shipping business but did not. She should face her job and stop getting involved in political squabbles. It is not mandatory for her to bully the President's opponents or perceived enemies.
Some people may want to call for her resignation but it may not be a wise idea when her replacement is likely to be worse in office due to frequent appointment of ‘weak’ ministers. Maybe they should wait for improvement as she 'delivers' her promise and surprise Nigerians before the end of 2013. The national planes should have cheaper flights than their counterparts. The proposed airline should also be more secured and reliable than other local flights.
On the issue of lack of electricity and messy toilets; some people said that the smelly condition improved when Princess Oduah became a minister while other people have conflicting views. We are sick and tired of telling the government to switch to renewable energy e.g., solar energy and wind turbine etc. Gombe State and some communities in Delta, Rivers and Taraba States have solar street lights. What is Princess Oduah waiting for? How much would it cost to upgrade our airports to international standards? We hope Nigerian airports will be solar powered like some American airports in Denver, San Francisco, California, Boston, Texan and Oregon. Which plane will be next to fall from the sky? May the nation avoid another tragedy? Was overloading the plane with reserve fuel the cause of the latest air crash? October 3rd was a very sad Thursday. R.I.P!
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ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Federal Aviation Agency says authorities have grounded all aircraft belonging to Lagos-based Associated Airline following a plane crash that killed at least 13 passengers.
—Washington Post
Barely three days after an Associated Airlines plane bearing the corpse of the late former governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu crashed in Lagos; killing 14 persons and injuring several others in Lagos, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday night placed a ban on Dana Air’s operations nationwide.
—Daily Post
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Gone
Gone with unfulfilled political strides
Must a plane cut down the iroko tree?
Gone like the wind
Must we lose another son of the soil?
Gone without bidding farewell
Must a father be deprived of his heir?
Gone on a journey of no return
Gone for evermore!
