Stench Of A Gargole …That Protest By Airlines Operators

Penultimate Sunday, Nigerians witnessed one of the most bloody, painful and  devastating air mishaps in recent history that for once, in months, united the nation in grief and ignited in nearly all, a rare urgency for human empathy that normally separates man from beast. It was the day that DANA Air Flight 9J-0992 from Abuja to Lagos crashed at Iju-Ishaga, killing crew and all passengers on board.

But the crash recorded even more . Apart from the more than 150 passengers and six crew members, the plane which rammed into a residential area also claimed lives of unsuspecting residents, and many to wonder, were indeed was ever safe in Nigeria.

Expectedly, Nigeria mourned  the dead and for three days flew the national flag at half mast while the Federal Government in addition ordered a full-scale investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the disaster. Indeed, for once, Nigerians were united that the probe needed to go beyond the immediate and cover the aviation industry and of necessity, all other domestic scheduled operators.

Among many  institutions like the National Assembly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)  and other notable Nigerians, former Lagos State Governor and National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warned that Nigerians could be spared further heart-breaking aircraft mishaps (only) if government addressed the root cause of the problem.

Insisting that even after the three-day national mourning ordered by President Goodluck Jonathan in honour of the dead, the agonies and pains of those that lost their loved ones would continue, Tinubu advised government to tighten regulations and ensure standards, revalidate the operational licences and aircraft airworthiness of all operators and enforce compliance with safety rules.

As if heeding that advice, the National Council of State and indeed the Federal Executive Council at different fora, after observing special sessions in soulful reverence of the dead also endorsed a broad probe into operations of all domestic airlines with a view to ascertaining their air worthiness.

Aviation Minister, Stella Odua-Ogienwonyi last mid-week told newsmen that President Jonathan had approved the appointment of a nine-man technical and administrative panel to audit all Arlines operating in the country. The committee which is to be inaugurated today, has an aeronautical engineer, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd) as chairman and Captain Austin Omame, Captain A. Mshella, Capt Mfon Udom and Captain Dele Sasegbon as members. Others are Dr O.B.Aliu, Felix Onyeyiri, Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau, Captain Muhtar and the Director-General NIMET, Dr Anthony Anuforom, all qualified aviation professionals with many years of experience.

Yes, the probe cannot bring back the dead. It cannot also restore the future of the innocent helpless and defenceless children burnt in the crash, like those of  Maimuna Ayene, whose four children, including a set of twins, all aged two years and below. Infact, Maimuna died along with nine other members of her family, her husband Onyeka, her four children, Kamsiyonna (two years) the twins, Kayimarachi and Kayinetochi (one year), Noah (seven months old), her sister, her two cousins and her mother-in-law. It cannot indeed wipe away, so easily, memories of all the dead, from the minds of those they loved. But while mourning the dead, there is also the need to protect the living against similar harm.

That in brief, must have informed the need for the audit committee which terms of  reference include; To thoroughly review the maintenance  practices of DANA Air as well as all other domestic scheduled operators and assess their level of compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation regulations; To assess the effectiveness or otherwise of the NCAA’s over-sight of the maintenance practices of domestic scheduled carriers and other regulatory aspects; and, To examine the management practices and safety culture existing in DANA Air up to the time of the accident.

Other terms include; To examine the management practices and safety culture of all domestic scheduled carriers; and finally; To make findings and bold recommendations to the Federal Government on all of the reference terms, (already listed) with a view to significantly improving the safety of the Nigerian Air space.

Frankly, it is difficult to appreciate the source of worry now being expressed by some aviation stakeholders under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON)who are said to be totally opposed to the Federal Government’s  review of the domestic airlines operations and ascertain the fitness of their aircrafts.

The operators had in a protest, last week Wednesday, argued that the government’s move violated international best practices in the industry, insisting that there exist already global outfits charged with such responsibilities.

Instead of, “attempting to make the airlines the scapegoat for the decay in the sector”, the group asked government to accept the blame for the rot because, according to the AON, the situation was a product of inconsistency in aviation policies.

Like what? Licensing virtually grounded airlines to operate in Nigeria? Not exercising sufficient over-sight on domestic scheduled operators? Or not properly fore-warning the unsuspecting air passengers of ill-maintained aircrafts and which resulted in the fatal crash? What exactly.

Rather than offer answers to these questions which would have informed Nigerians better, the operators seemed more interested in safeguarding their operational licences and  lifeline by whipping-up the sentiment that such a probe would affect the AA rating already enjoyed by Nigerian Airlines.

Describing government’s decision to set up the nine –member audit committee as misplaced, the operators expressed the fear that it could work against Nigeria’s interest because it undermined the status category one and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.

Secretary-General of AON, Mohammed Joji was quoted as saying that by the action, Government had set aside the functions of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which are saddled with the audit of the airworthiness of aircrafts and investigation into accidents.

According to him, the panel had sent wrong signals to the international community, which would see Nigeria as undermining Aviation Laws, especially, when the United States Federal Aviation Administration (US-FAA) had given Nigeria Category One, almost two years ago.

Now, the questions are: if the DANA Air crash, with its attendant huge human casualties had occurred a day to the issuance of the Category One crown, would the US –FAA have gone ahead to issue the excellence card without necessary questions ? Was the ill-fated DANA airline that crashed into a Lagos  residence, killing a cow tied to a mango tree, defenceless men,  women and children, inspected by the same US-FAA before its take-off from Abuja? Or did the Category One rating granted Nigeria prevent the DANA Airline from crashing in Lagos? Or is there something else that the airline operators fear other than loving Nigeria more than Nigerians?   Finally, in what way would an audit of the kind now ordered, negatively affect their operations, if  indeed, some of them are not just another DANA waiting to happen?

At a time like this, when, bereaved families are not only mourning loved ones, but also seeking answers that would prevent any repeat, the operators’ protest is not only selfish, it smarks of insensitivity to the inate fears of would-be air travelers. Rather than kick against the audit, the  operators ought to be in the vanguard of fishing out bad-eggs likely to rubbish the almighty Category One certificate, the country enjoys and which benefits the operators, even more.

Or, is it a reharsh of the now very over-used cliché, the guilty are afraid? I ask because, try as I have to understand the worries of the AON, I am still left guessing. By choosing existing structures, to which the operators  are very familiar, rather than a fresh probe committee, does it not seem that the operators have more than what they have expressed, to fear for?

These are times when, anti-government sentiments sell so, flying this kite will help polarize the grieving nation, along fresh politically induced divides. Is this the card being played by the operators to fore-stall extensive assessment of the air-worthiness of domestic scheduled airlines? Not sure this can sell, because no reasonable Nigerian, least of all the political class that equally patronizes such airlines, if not more frequently, will play politics with own safety and of others’ lives.

This is why the protest of the AON seems to me a stench oozing out of a mundane gargole and should be ignored, even avoided for all the right reasons.

My Agony is that the domestic airlines operators are too eager to blackmail Nigeria with what America will think, rather than see in the audit, their own opportunity to properly ascertain the worthiness of their own airlines and better ensure safety of Nigerians and even foreigners living here.

This is not the right way to ensure that the souls of the dead rest in peace, the AON option, methinks is  an invitation to sharp practices akin to the  dealings between two familiar friends, as obtained between Clearing Agents and ethically depraved,  Customs agents, in years past. That can instead force souls of the dead suffer imperfect rest.

Soye Wilson Jamabo

President Jonathan and Ahmed Tinubu