The Federal Government will do everything humanly possible to prevent the recurrence of domestic air crashes in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.
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Jonathan, while speaking at the unveiling ceremony of a cenotaph to honour the victims, who lost their lives in the Dana Air, Flight J9 992 crash on June 3, 2012, said the government had resolved to make the nation’s airspace safe.
He said, “Today I want to say to all to my countrymen and women and the entire world that we will make our airspace safe. In this regard I reiterate our determination to do everything humanly possible to prevent the recurrence of this unfortunate tragedy.”
The President described the crash as “a monumental tragedy” to Nigeria.
He said, “All the 153 persons on board and six others on the ground lost their lives. It was a monumental tragedy for the nation.
“We commiserate with the families of all those who lost their lives, especially on the first anniversary of that terrible tragedy. We also feel and share the same sense of profoundness to the victims of all other aviation accidents that have occurred in this country.”
In the aftermath of the crash, the President said the Federal Government had put in place measures to forestall such occurrence in a bid to enhance the overall safety of flying in Nigeria.
According to him, the minister of aviation has appointed the Technical and Administrative Review Panel comprising highly qualified and experienced industry professionals to review the operations, technical and managerial practices of airlines that operate domestically.
He said the assignment of the panel was separate from that of the statutory investigation of the accident carried out by the Accident Investigation Bureau.
Meanwhile, the significance of private jets to influential clergymen was again highlighted on Monday as the Archbishop of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, blamed his lateness to remembrance ceremony on his inability to own a private jet.
Kukah was among the clerics scheduled to conduct a Christian inter-denominational church service in remembrance of the victims.
When called upon to give a word to an audience which had Jonathan, senior government functionaries and relatives of victims of the crash in attendance, the bishop said, “Let me apologise for coming late. This is what comes from not having a private jet.”
Though the bishop sounded humorous, the statement triggered a brief debate among guests on the occasion. While some argued that a private jet was an important necessity for clergymen, others viewed it as a luxury.
Sensing the mode of his audience, Kukah went straight to make his speech and used the opportunity to call on the government to not only focus on averting air crashes, but should work hard to reduce road accidents.
He said, “More people are dying on our roads than those who die in air crashes. Air accidents are more pronounced because of the importance attached to air travel, but I want to use this opportunity to request that attention be given to our roads as well.
“However, we will not fail to commend the government all the same. I watched the President while presenting his scorecard and I came to realise that this is a great time to be a Nigerian.”
Also, the Ogun State Executive Council on Monday observed a minute silence in memory of the victims of the Dana plane crash.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who called for the observance of the one minute silence during the state Executive Council meeting, said the Ogun State Government particularly wanted to reach out to the management of German Agency for International Cooperation, who lost two of their staff, Walter Hunner and Olumide Coker, in the crash.
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