Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, on Tuesday, disclosed that the
report on the Associated Airline aircraft, which was submitted to the
Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), was forged.
Speaking at the plenary session of
the Senate, he added that “there is a systemic problem over how the regulators
are doing their jobs. We need to go beyond the surface dressing.”
Also speaking at the session, Senator
Smart Adeyemi said the ill-fated aircraft was on a test flight and was, by law,
not expected to carry passengers, except the pilot and engineers.
This is just as the Senate concluded
that the country may continue to witness more air crashes unless those in
charge of the aviation sector were held responsible and accountable for their
negligences.
The upper chamber also summoned the
Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah and heads of parastatal agencies in the ministry
over the increasing air disasters experienced in the country in recent times.
Oduah and others would be appearing
before the Senate on October 22, having adjourned for two weeks to enable
various committees to complete their oversight duties, in anticipation of the
2014 budget.
The position of the Senate was sequel
to a motion moved by the chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope
Uzodinma, on the crash in Lagos, last Thursday, of the Associated Airline
aircraft, bearing the remains of the former governor of Ondo State, Chief
Olusegun Agagu.
The Senate expressed worries that the
country had witnessed seven fatal air mishaps and averted two within two and a
half years.
Stating that the increasing air
crashes in the country since 2011 was an indication of deep-rooted systemic
problem, the upper legislative chamber mandated its relevant committees to
identify the inherent lapses in the operational laws and regulations guiding
the aviation industry, with a view to averting future occurrences.
Most of the senators who spoke at the
plenary session on Tuesday, attributed the increasing air disaster in the
country to corruption and failure of the appropriate authorities to implement
reports of investigations on past air crashes.
Senator Adeyemi blamed the incident
on corruption, adding that “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.
“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.”
Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba,
said the aviation sector was in a state of emergency and expressed the need to
question the activities of the minister and heads of parastatal agencies,
especially with regards to safety regulations.
For Senator Ita Enang, the aviation
ministry had only concentrated on infrastructure and aesthetics at the
airports, with little attention paid to the state of the aircraft flying the
Nigerian airspace.
“Most aircraft flying in Nigeria are
not allowed to fly in other countries. The regulators are more interested in
awarding contracts than on the safety of passengers,” he said.
Senator Bukola Saraki said until the
regulators were held responsible and accoutable for their negligence, nothing
could change in the sector.
He added that all reports of previous
investigations must be implemented, while advising that the Senate committee
set up to investigate the incident must be empowered to be able to conduct a
third party investigation.
Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi blamed the
recent 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 nowhere in the world where
we have this level of disaster. Yet, we have a minister telling us about the
safety of aviation sector and the construction of terminals.
“We do not need anybody to make us
know that due diligence is required. We must ask ourselves questions in the
Senate about our oversight duties and monitoring of regulatory agencies. If
not, we will continue to make mockery of the red parliament,” he said.
Senator Solomon Ewuga called for a
better understanding between government agencies saddled with the
responsibilities of aviation safety and the legislature.
He said, going by the report of the
aviation committee from various incidents, there was a wide gulf 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.
While Senator Phillip Aduda
recommended that people saddled with aircraft certification were brought to
book, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha was of the view that there should be a law
banning the importation of tokunbo aircraft, as it was being proposed for
automobiles.
In his reaction, Deputy President of
the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, commended his
colleagues for transcending ethnic and political divides in their
contributions.
He also blamed incessant plane
crashes in the country on the regulators of the industry and maintained that so
long as Nigerians did not take responsibilities for their actions, the Senate
had no option but to summon the Minister of Aviation and heads of its agencies.
“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,” he said
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