By Yemi Adamolekun
THE security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, says Chapter 2, Section 14 2(b), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
A WEEK of explosions and multiple car accidents ended on Sunday, June 3 with a bomb blast in Bauchi in the morning that killed at least 12 people and a plane crash in Lagos in the afternoon that killed no fewer than 153.
The authorities are still unsure of the number of people who died in their homes and on the streets when the plane crashed in a residential area.
In the first five months of 2012, more than 1,000 people have died on our roads, in our hospitals, in the hands of Boko Haram and now, from a plane crash. Yet our government, which primary purpose is security and welfare of Nigerians continues to make promises about a ‘transformation.’ We’ve only gone from bad to worse.
While investigations have just begun, we note with concern that issues have been raised about the air-worthiness of DANA’s fleet and two (of five) of DANA’s aircraft have had problems in the last week. Indeed, the concerns and the integrity of aviation safety checks are industry wide.
For travellers – ancient infrastructure; power outages; terrible customer service; delays with no warnings nor information and no compensation; inhumane treatment; stories of near misses with aircraft that had to turn back; bumpy landings; endless delays for ‘operational’ or ‘technical’ issues; arbitrary pricing, taxes and fees, are everyday occurrences. It is clear that all is not well in the aviation sector.
It is therefore very disturbing that when the President was going to talk about the ‘transformation’ in the aviation sector, what he thought important to mention at the site where no fewer than 153 people died was the renovations in the nations’ airports.
We would like to remind the government, relevant agencies and the airline that innocent Nigerians, other than DANA passengers, lost lives and property to the disaster and efforts to provide relief should be as immediate as recovery efforts on the site. We also note with concern that while military and policemen were speedily dispatched to quell peaceful protests in January, there were inadequate personnel on ground to cordon of the crash area and prevent onlookers from walking freely, looting and tampering with bodies, property and relevant evidence.
We believe responsibility lies with three stakeholder groups:
Government Agencies: Our government consistently gives the impression that it does not care about the lives of its citizens. From the Fuel Subsidy probe to the Pension probe to the SEC probe, no one is yet to be suspended, fired or queried. What is the motivation to do what is right when you can get away with doing what is wrong?
Diezani Alison-Madueke cried as Minister of Transport over Benin-Ore in 2007. She’s still a serving minister while the ministry she oversees has been accused of perpetuating the largest fraud in history worth $8 billion.
Airlines: For lousy service and communication channels. On Friday, June 1, an airline over-issued boarding passes to 60 passengers on an Abuja-Lagos flight. The Station Manager left the passengers to sleep in the airport without providing any information. When the Lagos-bound flight departed at 8:15 am on Saturday, June 2, no official of that airline had addressed the passengers.
DANA also released a manifest that not only included personal addresses but phone numbers and email addresses, which is a violation of privacy laws. Furthermore, there are names on the manifest that were not on the flight; were passenger IDs not checked before boarding?
Nigerians: We complain quietly about inhumane treatment from the airlines and government agencies, only to rely on God for miracles. We deserve better and we must demand better.
Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, Minister of Aviation and Harold Demuren, Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should be asked to step aside while investigations are ongoing. If they are found to have lapsed in their duties, they should be relieved of their positions.
It is impossible to dispassionately supervise an investigation that involves their offices.
NCAA should publish, in newspapers and on its website, the safety records of all active aircraft in our local fleet, including ramp checks (results & measures taken); airline audits (results & measures taken); support and audit of Safety Management Systems.
This should form the starting point for a public inquiry into the aviation sector.
A thorough investigation of the accident by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) conforming to international standards and a public presentation of the findings from the contents of the ‘black box’ as they relate to the crash should be made public within 24 hours of their submission.
In the words of @tejucole, “Cutting corners, praying, ignoring statistics and science, hoping for the best, giving thanks for narrow escapes. It’s no way to live.”
Yemi Adamolekun is the Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria, a Coalition of Youth Organizations focusing on Governance and Issues of National Development
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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