SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 9, 2012—21
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ast Sunday, June 3,2012, a Boeing McDonnel Douglas 83 aircraft operated by Dana Airlines ploughed into homes in IjuIshaga area of Lagos, burst into flames minutes later killing all 153 passengers on board including some people in their homes. The blackberry messages that went round requested urgent need of emergency services to come to the aid of victims. That took a while to happen and by the time they arrived the crash site was flooded with tonnes of people who wanted to have a peek at the wreckage and some a morbid action of even stealing from the dead. Getting to the crashed aircraft and maybe commencing rescue was hampered due to the bad access route which made it almost impossible for rescue equipment and vehicles to be moved into the area. The police were helpless as more people thronged the area. This incident coming at a time when Nigerians were beginning to heave a sigh of relief at the reduction in the pace of aircraft mishaps and
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It could have been any one of us. the forthcoming changes in our airports which are long overdue. Needless to say this has thrown up even more pertinent questions and put the microscope on the safety regulations and checks being
commensurate with the charge. It is always a case of fleecing the passengers without offering any service at all . Flights are delayed at will with no explanation or even out rightly cancelled
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t is inevitable that we all shuffle off this mortal coil one day and much as we go about our day, hustling and making ends meet, we know in our hearts that not all of us will live to a ripe old age. Some have a premonition of when they will die, some just pass on in their sleep but when death is caused by gross negligence and greed of someone or company or government agency then such action is not only criminal, it is a sin that surely will not escape judgement from above.
The airport facilities are nothing to write home about,and even the new MM2 has lost its shine
applied in the aviation industry with regards to the operation of airlines and the age of aircrafts allowed to fly our airspace. In the past year or so, airlines have increased their tariffs and at one point there was the passenger service charge added to the cost after one must have purchased a ticket to travel by air. I wonder what the PSC is for as I do not feel any service is being offered
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and there is nothing one can do about it. No compensation, no apology, nothing. Take it or leave it. The airport facilities are nothing to write home about,and even the new MM2 has lost its shine. A visit to the convenience and use of the lifts are unpleasant. The ill fated Dana aircraft was said to be over 22 years old,and how it passed safety regulations, if it did at all despite previous short comings,
was allowed into the airspace, is not the fault of the company alone but also that of people who are in charge of regulating and making sure that safety standards are strictly adhered to. People who are meant to stop bad practices. Who is responsible for this? Who certified them 0k to fly when they were not? It will not surprise me if money changed hands and someone/some people looked the other way. The price for this betrayal is the loss of lives of loved ones who had no inkling of what tragedy would befall them. A whole family wiped out is too hard to comprehend,and it is shocking at the very least.
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arely few days ago, multiple accidents involving petrol tankers claimed two lives with the attendant material loss at the Lagos Ibadan Express Way. Repeated occurrence of such accidents is due to the deplorable shape of the road in question which has swallowed billions of Naira in supposed contracts awarded to reconstruct it. Why do we keep doing this to fellow
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pledge to Nigeria my country,” I began confidently; “to be faithful loyal and honest, to serve ….” Ugh??!! And for the life of me I could not get past that point. I started over like twice, but there was nothing for it. Maybe because I was caught unawares but there it was, captured on video tape for posterity and to my everlasting shame. The anthem and pledge are two of the most basic symbols C M Y K
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flew the Dana Aircraft flight 993 on Sunday, June 3, 2012 to Abuja. It was meant to depart at 12:06pm but we did not take off till about 12:45pm. The aircraft landed about 55mins later. I had wanted to return with it to Lagos but was delayed and could not meet up. I bought a First Nation ticket instead and when I arrived at the airport, I learnt of the crash. I was in total shock, weak and numb thinking that could have been me. There is no amount of weeping that will make this right. This was not an act of God. It was brought about by human negligence. If we do the right thing, put down the necessary standards and checks that are needed,we would avert heartbreaking mishaps and spare ourselves untold hardship. In closing, I ask this question, will we ever get there? Will we ever make it out of this black hole as a nation? Will we ever hear the sound of the cock crow heralding a new dawn? I pray the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace,and the Lord gives those who have lost friends, family, colleagues the fortitude to bear these great loss.
that Dana plane crash are feeling any ‘allegiance’ right now. It is bad enough when it is a freak accident; but for a disaster of such magnitude to have been set off by such gross negligence as is being reported is unacceptable and hard if not impossible to forgive.
I pledge to Nigeria my country….. I of national unity. And the words of both should be deeply engrained and engraved on the hearts of every true patriot. The words a constant reminder of the allegiance we owe. Then again how do you swear allegiance to something or someone who just keeps on taking and taking and never gives anything back? “I pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful, loyal and honest…” Where? In a place where the only loyalty is to money and dishonesty is encouraged and thrives unchecked? “To serve Nigeria with all my strength…? Why? So that a
small percentage can continue to exist in obscene wealth and comfort while the majority wallow in abject poverty? “To defend her unity…” Our unity has been polarised by sociopolitical issues that have taken on, and divided us along religious and ethnic lines. “To
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pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful, loyal and honest. To serve Nigeria will all my strength, to defend her unity, uphold her honour and glory, so help me God.” That has to be the weirdest thing anyone has asked me on the ‘red carpet’. I was walking the media gauntlet at a movie awards ceremony when suddenly out of the blue the lady holding the microphone asked me to recite the National Anthem. “Excuse me?” I said. I thought she was joking. But then she repeated the question so I placed my hand over my heart and began to recite it you see, because I knew it.
citizens? Why has life suddenly become nothing more than fodder? How many times will a contractor be awarded a job and not do it without repercussion, no one deems it fit to make sure that work is actually carried out? There has been too much blood letting in this country, and living in Nigeria is now becoming a huge risk for it is not just the mode of travel one chooses as you can be in your home and disaster will strike all the same.
uphold her honour and glory…”For what? We dishonour ourselves and drag our glory in the mud on a daily basis both home and away. It’s hard to love this country right now. I doubt if the relatives of the 150 plus souls that so needlessly perished in
There is enough evidence out there to show that something definitely was wrong
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am personally disappointed that it took all of 72 hours to suspend their operational licence. And up until now no arrests have been made. There is enough evidence out there to show that something definitely was wrong. Question is to what extent and who’s responsible. Madam Aviation Minister should pursue this with the same vigour and tenacity with which she pursed the fight with British Airways to lower the cost of first class travel. Once again we suffer a painful consequence of years of corruption, greed and neglect of ‘leaders’ and the complacency of the ‘led’. May we one day awake from this deep and terrible slumber so help us God!