How to prevent air disaster, by Tinubu

By The Nation:  Reporter 

 

Tinubu

National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has urged the Federal Government to provide the mandatory standard double runway at the nation’s airports and make the airspace safe.
Tinubu spoke on last Sunday’s crash of a Dana Air plane in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb.
He advised the government to tighten regulations and ensure compliance with safety standards.
Speaking on a three-day national mourning declared by President Goodluck Jonathan, the former Lagos State governor noted that thorough investigations into the Dana plane crash and the implementation of the recommendations of previous reports are the panacea to a recurrence.
According to him, though Nigeria is not Africa’s biggest aviation hub, it has recorded five deadly air disasters within 10 years.
In a statement by his media office in Lagos, Asiwaju Tinubu said: “Nigeria is not the biggest hub in Africa; yet, it has recorded some of the most preventable air disasters. In the past decade, we have had five deadly disasters.
“The only way Nigerians can be spared further heart-wrenching aircraft disasters is for the government to get to the root cause of the problem. As we come out of the three-day national mourning, the agonies and pains of those that lost loved ones continue. Nigeria also continues to suffer a haemorrhage in terms of the lives lost and the national reputation and economic attraction ruptured. 
“The only way to check similar mishaps is for the government to carry out thorough investigations into the Dana Air  crash and immediately make public all the previous panel reports on similar air disasters. This must not be a convenient excuse for making scape goats of some people. 
“The government must, of necessity, tighten regulations and ensure standards, revalidate the operational licences and aircraft worthiness of all operating aircraft and enforce compliance in all aspects of air operations. 
“Let me warn that we cannot afford to sleep at the switch this time. To go to sleep after a few weeks and return to our normal lives will be most tragic. “The present government most put on the front burner the issue of sanitising our aviation system and ensuring that aircraft are in good shape. 
“Also, we cannot afford to misplace our priorities in this matter. A case where billions of naira are being expended on airports’ arrival halls when all our airports lack the mandatory standard double runaways, when the runaway lights are dull and inadequate and the air control tower lacks latest equipment, is unacceptable. 
“It is a crash misjudgement. Nigerians would trade safety and comfort in the air and on the runways to white elephant projects all over our airports. 
“With the huge revenue coming to the government, there is no reason our airspace and runways should not be safe. Given the fact that for every N25 paid by a passenger, N11 goes to the Federal Government in one form or another, not to talk of the several billions of dollars accruing to the government coffers through the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).” 
The former governor condoled with the victims’ families and friends, saying the pains of the deaths would linger in the memories of those who lost their loved ones.
He prayed for the souls of the departed to rest in peace and God to grant unto their relatives the fortitude to bear the loss.
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