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Death on the Air: Yet Another Plane Crash, A Heartless Nigerian Leadership By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
Between
June 11, 2005 and December 10, 2005 a period of six months the nation
has witnessed eight air disasters the last three being the October 22,
2005 Boeing 737-200 of between airlines all 117 passengers lost their
lives, bodies were never recovered, black box is not anywhere light. The
next was a Beechcraft 200 Executive Jet crashed killing two persons and
then the Saturday crash in which poor innocent students were the
sacrificial lambs for our nations inefficiency and idiotic busy doing
nothing attitude.
The
Minister of Aviation, Professor Borishade at the time of the air crash
was in Canada as usual doing nothing other than chopping estacode. I
purposely picked the phrase wicked leadership for lack of the proper
word to describe the set of people in whom we have entrusted the
governing and administration of this nation to.
Hours
before the crash a Chanchangi airplane was reported to have narrowly
escaped the thunderstorm, which many claim, hit the Sosoliso and yet no
one bothered. If this truly has the case, who was responsible, which
body and is this air crash like others we have witnesses natural or
avertable? When eyewitness account stated that the airplane burst into
flames some few distance to landing before crashing.
For
several hours, infact a day after the crash, the manifest of the
aircraft was yet to be released, we are told the manifest was being
vetted by the State Security Service (very awkward) as I ask what has
the SSS got to do with the “vetting” of manifest of a plane that
virtually had only school children going on Xmas vacation. The Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) even said the Minister would release
the manifest. What kind of nation is this? This crash of Sosoliso flight
OSL 1145 has once again exposed the mistake this nation has become, when
the Airport fire fighting vehicle (only one) came, it barely had water,
though the authorities have come out to deny it, not that we expected
otherwise, most of the dead that were infact were visibly badly burned.
The
authorities of the Port Harcourt Airport mounted a heavy security
presence giving the impression of a coup. Journalists were manhandled
and denied access all in the name of “so that journalist would not
heighten the situation” words of the River State Commissioner of Police.
What nonsense, when a woman whose husband was on board the airplane
tried to get confirmations, she was pursued, pushed and harassed by
heartless mobile policemen, infact on camera, they told her to go away.
Such gross display of insensitivity is something that can happen only in
our beloved Nigeria. The public affairs officer of FAAN, who frankly was
unable to say anything tangible to pressmen, was even captured on camer
a laughing at nothing at a point thus throwing to the wind any form of
sensitivity.
As usual
shameless Aviation Ministry officials a day after got talking nonsense
that accident investigators with 27 years experience were already on
their way to the country from U.S.A. After the investigations of the
Lisa crash what will Nigeria get from the investigation, no black, green
or white box? We have an Aviation Ministry that watches as an aircraft
runs unto a herd of cows. The Bellveiw Airline Operators have carried on
with business as usual, even the compensation they gave the impression
would be ready the following week is taking ages now, now they are
buying pages to say we have dug Boreholes, sadly just two boreholes…if
they sink ten then they will inherit the village, besides what is so
special about boreholes, if the Gbenga Daniel’s government is really
doing what it claims on the pages of newspapers I see no reason why Lisa
should not have clean portable drinking water.
Why would
the SSS seize the manifest of a crashed plane, why would an airline have
only one copy of the manifest? Thus putting families, relations into
anxious panic of assumption and doubt. How wicked can our leaders be,
because if further investigation continued we would be told they were
acting on instructions from above.
As a
result of all air crash the Presidency had earlier this December
approved the movement of the Accident Investigation and Prevention
Bureau to the Presidency to operate (more like to thief money direct
from source) as an autonomous agency under the President. We see the
success the President has made of the Petroleum Ministry as a Direct
Supervisor
As usual
again those who had earlier boarded the same crashed aircraft had
complained that the aircraft was not in good shape, just like the
Bellview Aircraft, though naturally the airlines have denied. Truth is a
hard commodit y in the airline business in Nigeria, in times like these
every Nigerian both those that fly frequently and those who flew last in
1976 become air and craft experts and then as is always the case it
would accusations and counter accusations…lies and lies.
In
Nigeria we have a President, a Minister for Aviation and yet airlines do
“crew exchange” borrow and lend planes like it’s a TOD (temporary over
draft) bank facility. Pilots fly for their airlines and are borrowed to
other airlines. It took several planes to overshoot the runway in Lagos
airport before repairs would be undertaken, the Kaduna airport runway is
in bad condition and no one is talking tough until another crash. How
can a nation with leaders explain that runways to big facilities such as
an international airport have cracks and potholes? Imagine the damage a
pothole could cause in a vehicle accident how much mo re a plane.
Aircraft due for major routine maintenance check are left to fly. We are
indeed in trouble, our leaders indeed are wicked.
Big man
cannot fly our airspace again, poor man cannot travel our roads, our
waters if they do not have potholes already are the domain of pirates,
then one decides to trek to his destination a government official with
his convey at 200 kilometres per hour blasting sirens would hit the man.
What a wicked nation!
Like the
Belleview air crash a friend on top had told me the black box would
never be found because you do not look for what you did not loose, very
weighty words. It is not shocking to us because we known that till
tomorrow and next the cause of the air crash would never be discovered,
if it is, the public would never be told.
Since the
1992 and thirteen years still counting apart fro m the IBB- Link
theorist no one has been able to tell us what happened to the Nigerian
Air Force Hercules C-130 plane that plunged into the mud of Ejigbo, a
Lagos suburb. On the whole a nation that is just 45 years has been host
to 39 air mishaps and crash and since the first on November 20, 1969
none has been properly investigated and the outcome made public.
If our l
eaders are not wicked why would an airline oversell its tickets I
remember the BAC I-II aircraft belonging to EAS that crashed in Kano in
May 4, 2002 the plane was reportedly carrying over load. What kind of
nation is this, Albarkar airlines had to deny owning workers’ salary
arrears, such a matter should not even come up, should not even be heard
by a second ear, but this is the state of the nation’s aviation sector.
Virtually all the local airlines have turned our airspace to Oshodi
motor park flying planes li ke Majekobaje (do not let it spoil) Lagos
Kabukabu. The local air operators all do not have hangers, one wonders
what are the criterians for flying in Nigeria. As the days go by
revelations would be made, at least for a change the black box we are
told has not disappeared. Maybe for once our leaders will remove tag of
heartless by doing the right thing (high hopes you say) I guess so too,
but an endless hope sure is better than a hopeless end. Almighty Allah
where are Thou?
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