Air Crashes: Senate Summons Minister …As Nine Perish In Kastina Auto Crash

Grossly worried by the spate of air disasters involving Nigerian airlines, Senate yesterday summoned the Minister of Aviation, Stella Odua, to brief the lawmakers on the air worthiness of the aircraft in Nigeria and the operations of her ministry which has recorded more than seven air mishaps within the past three years.
This was part of the resolutions reached by the Senate following a motion sponsored by Hope Uzodimma, on the recent crash of Associated Airlines, which killed sixteen people out of the twenty people on board.  The Senate also charged the aviation committee to investigate and identify lapses in the operational laws and regulations guiding the aviation industry, with a view to streamlining them to avert future crashes.
This is even as some of the senators disclosed that the Associated Airplane that crashed last week in Lagos was supposed to be on test flight from Lagos to Akure, rather than for commercial journey, having been under repair for a long time.
In his lead debate, Hope Uzodinma, recalled that within the last two years, the aviation industry has witnessed seven fatal air mishaps and two averted ones, saying it is unprecedented in the history of plane crashes in Nigeria.
However after an intense debate on the recent crash of Associated Airlines, the Senate expressed frustration over the apparent refusal of the executive to implement the recommendations of the Senate in the previous crashes.
The senators, expressing their dismay, also stated their resolve as lawmakers not just to lament problems in the country but to take adequate steps to ensure that their recommendations were implemented by the appropriate authority.
While regretting that they had debated severally on the poor state of the aviation industry, the senators, however, blamed negligence of duty, poor monitoring and lack of will to enforce the extant laws, for the repeated air mishaps in the country.
The upper house also mandated its committee on aviation to investigate the cause of the recent crash in Lagos, adding that the committee should ascertain the level of compliance by relevant aviation agencies with the recent resolutions of the Senate.
In his speech, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, commended members for the passion expressed while contributing to the motion, stressing that it was a pity that the country had lost many lives as a result of air mishaps.
Smart Adeyemi, in his contribution at the debate, stressed that the problem with the aviation sector was corruption, disclosing that the Associated Aircraft that crashed was on test flight.
According to Senator Adeyemi, the plane departed Lagos to Akure on test flight, adding that it was under repairs before then and was supposed to carry only engineers for the flight test and not passengers.
Senator Ali Ndume, in his contribution, noted that resolutions by the Senate were not implemented by the executive.
“Last time, we said that Dana operations should be withdrawn, they started flying few days later, only last week they said Dana has been suspended. We should ensure compliance after motion have been passed,” Senator Ndume said
Senator Ita Enang, called for a thorough investigation into the matter, saying that laws on aviation in the country were not enforced and that the minister had concentrated more on infrastructure and ecstatic while professionalism and suitability of the aircraft had been neglected.
Senator Enang reported that there was about 909 pages of recommendations on aviation safety, but nothing had been done to implement them, even as he said that in other countries, professionalism and retraining of professionals were taken seriously, which was not the case in Nigeria.
Others summoned by the Senate are the chief executives of all the parastatals in the Ministry of Aviation, including Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), yesterday confirmed the death of nine persons in a motor accident in Batagarawa Local Government Area of the state.
The FRSC Sector Commander, Alhaji Habu Dauda, told newsmen in Katsina that the incident occurred at about 11a.m last Monday at the entrance gate of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, on Katsina-Dutsinma road.
He said the accident involved a bus with registration number AA 479 JH, whose driver lost control while trying to avoid colliding with another vehicle coming out of the university.
Dauda said eight persons, including the driver of the bus, died instantly, while one other died later at the hospital.
He said six of the passengers were still receiving treatment at the Katsina General Hospital.
The commander disclosed that N678,095, sent through the driver of the vehicle to one Alhaji Nura Lawal, was recovered and handed over to the owner.
He appealed to motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations, and called on the state government to block the U-turn opposite the university gate to prevent further accidents.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi,

Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (left), with Mrs. Sotonye Harry, wife of the late former Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Tonye Harry, during his condolence visit to the family in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Abuja