The disaster caused by
the crash of the Associated Airline plane last Thursday, in Lagos which claimed
16 lives, resonated in the Senate yesterday with the summoning of the Aviation
Minister, Stella Oduah and all the heads of the regulatory agencies in the
sector by the lawmakers.
This was sequel to a
motion moved by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation; Senator Hope
Uzodima (PDP Imo West) for deliberation on the disaster on the floor of the
house yesterday.
The Minister and the
other summoned Aviation Chief Executives are expected to brief the
chamber on the state of aviation sector and the likely reasons for the high
level of air disasters experienced in the country in recent times.
However, they would be
appearing when lawmakers reconvene on October 22. The Senate, which was
just resuming from its one- week break, yesterday adjourned for another two
weeks to enable various committees complete their oversight duties in
anticipation of 2014 budget.
The Senate observed in
the motion that out of the 20 passengers on board, 16 have been confirmed dead.
It also expressed worries that the country had witnessed seven fatal air
mishaps and averted two within the last two and half years.
Worried that the
resurgence of plane crashes in the country since 2011 was an indication of deep
rooted problem within the sector, the upper legislative chamber mandated its
relevant committee to identify lapses in the operational laws and regulations
guiding the aviation industry with a view to averting future occurrences.
However, more facts
have emerged about circumstances surrounding the crash of the airplane. Senator
Smart Adeyemi ( Kogi West), revealed that the ill-fated airplane was on a test
flight and was by law, not expected to carry passengers except the pilot
and engineers.
Adeyemi, therefore,
blamed the incident on corruption and urged the Committee on Aviation to
unravel those behind the action. He said: “ I was in Lagos after the crash and
in the course of my stay, I interacted with my colleagues in the media and I
was surprised to gather that the plane crashed as a result of corruption.
“I gathered that the
plane was meant to be on a test flight and as such, it was to shuttle between
Lagos and Akure without carrying passengers except the pilot and engineers. But
someone thought it wise to pick passengers to make quick business”. Adeyemi
added that unless the problem of corruption is addressed in the aviation
sector, no amount of funds would bring about the required reform.
While commending
ongoing efforts by the federal government at upgrading airport facilities, he
insisted that much is desired in areas of regulation and management. “There is
no amount of money that can help if we don’t tackle corruption. We need to know
who bought the aircraft and who is managing it.
“The ongoing renovation
at the airports is good but the problem is management and regulation. The truth
is that there is corruption in the aviation industry. We must be courageous
enough to speak the truth. Our chambers would do the county good to unravel the
owners of the Associated Airline”, he said.
The Senate Leader,
Victor Ndoma-Egba in his contribution said the industry was in a state of
emergency and expressed the need to question the activities of the minister and
heads of parastatals, especially with regards to safety regulations.
Earlier, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti East), blamed the
incident and several others before it on poor aviation regulations and
enforcement.
“What we are suffering
from is the regulation. The duty of the government is to regulate the industry
to ensure safety in the air and that is what we are not getting. There is no
where in the world where we have this level of disaster. Yet, we have a
minister telling us about the safety of aviation and the construction of
terminals.
“We do not need
anybody to make us know that due diligence is required. We must ask ourselves
questions about our oversight duties and monitoring of regulatory agencies, if
not, we will continue to make a mockery of the red parliament”.
Senator Adetunmbi also
blamed the media for unnecessary hype of government’s efforts at reforming the
aviation sector. According to him, upgrading airport facilities was necessary
but greater challenge lies with the people and the procedures for the
regulating agencies.
Senator Solomon Ewuga
(Nasarawa North), called for a better understanding between government agencies
saddled with the responsibilities of aviation safety and the legislature.
He stated that going
by the report of the aviation committee from various incidents, there was a gap
between both bodies, especially with regards to aviation regulations and
maintenance operations.
Ewuga, therefore,
urged the committee to be thorough in its investigation with greater emphasis
on professionalism and training pattern of aviation regulators He said: “I am
disturbed that in suspending the operations of Dana Airline, not much has been
said about air safety in the country. We have no sympathy for ourselves.
“It is very sad the
way we treat ourselves. Let us not look at the aviation problem in isolation,
the problem is holistic and should be treated as such. Chairman should go into
the training pattern, the organization, artisans and if need be, look into the
issue of funding training of technical staff”.
In his reaction,
Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, commended his colleagues for
transcending ethnic and political divides in their contributions. Again,
he blamed incessant plane crashes in Nigeria on the regulators of the industry
and maintained that so long as Nigerians don’t take responsibilities of their
actions, the Senate had no option than to summon the Minster of Aviation and
her parastatal heads.
“The issue is that in
some places, when something like this happens, people take responsibilities and
resign but because such things do not happen here, we will keep repeating
ourselves. “The problem here is the safety standard and not just the plane
because the standards are same everywhere. There is the need to ensure
that those responsible for regulating the industry do so.”
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