The nation has again been thrown into mourning.
Just like the previous ones, everyone is seriously grieved and we are all
wearing dark looks. Seminars and workshops on prevention of air accidents
will be organized. Presidential fora on aviation will also be organized.
But as usual with Nigerians, it is just a matter of days before we shelve it
aside and continue as if nothing ever happened. It is only the bereaved that
will be left to feel the pain forever. How they cope is not anybody’s
headache. The best the government will do is to give media coverage whenever
the insurance company is ready to indemnify the next of kin of the deceased.
This particular
mishap is not the first under the tenure of Dr Babalola Borisade. It is
neither the second nor third either. His regime spells doom for the aviation
industry. Just immediately he assumed office, there was the Bellview air
crash at Lisa village in Ogun State. I was one of those who went against
those calling for his resignation at the time. My reason being that the mess
in the industry had long been there before his appointment as Minister of
Aviation. At least, he should be allowed to work before being castigated.
But sequence of events so far has proved that he does not have what it takes
to take the aviation industry out of the woods.
The President has
call for an immediate investigation into the proximate cause of the
accident. This has been done in all the previous air crashes. Can the
President and his Minister tell the nation what he has done with such
investigations? Both the President and Aborishade have failed this nation
and they don’t have any reason to remain in office for a day longer.
Secondly,
suspension of the airline’s license is not the solution to the problem. Like
someone said, ‘cutting the braches of a tree will not stop the tree from
growing’. We should get to the root of the problem rather than the President
playing on our intelligence. They should stop playing politics with our
lives. Are the other airlines operating in the country presently better than
Slok Air whose license was revoked by the Obasanjo administration?
Consequent upon
investigations into the previous accidents, we got to understand that the
radars at our airports do not function on weekends. I am not an aviation
expert but we were made to understand that such equipment can aid pilots to
a great extent thereby reducing the risk of accident. What has Dr Babalola
Aborishade done to get the radars working as obtainable in decent societies?
What has he done to ensure compliance with all aviation rules and
regulations?
Instead of
blaming the deceased pilot for his refusal to heed weather advice, the
Minister should hide his head in shame and allow the pilot’s soul rest in
peace. It is wrong to talk bad of the dead. He is not alive to defend
himself and remember that he left some loved ones behind. How would you want
his wife and children to feel each time you mention that the pilot’s
arrogance led to the death of over one hundred people? After all, pilots
confirm that they are at liberty to use there discretion in such
circumstance.
We thank God that
the flight data recorder otherwise known as the black box has been found;
and the Minister has confirmed that it will be sent to the United States for
analysis. Is he not supposed to wait for the outcome of the investigation
before heaping blames on the pilot? Of what benefit is the investigation if
the Minister already knows the cause of the accident? How would the Minister
feel if at the end of the investigation the crash is attributed to some
other reasons aside from what he is insinuating? Would he have the mind to
apologise to the nation for making a hasty conclusion?
The aircraft, we
understand, has not done a ‘D check’ for a very long time. This is against
aviation rules and it can only happen in an industry presided over by
Babalola Borisade. Or is the pilot to blame again for this lack of
maintenance? The Minister has not said anything about this in his
preliminary investigation.
One particular
area that the Minister has not addressed is the story of the eye witness
account. The villagers confirmed that they heard three explosions [boom,
boom, boom as they put it] and the aircraft exploded before it came down. If
the account of the eye witness is anything to go by, can bad weather be
responsible for explosions?
Nigeria has lost
so much blood to air disasters due to the Minister’s inability to
effectively and efficiently manage the aviation industry and the best him
for him to do is to throw in the towel. He will save the nation much trouble
by heeding the clarion call.