Tragic-comedy of House Committee on Aviation/Dana Air Crash saga

By Group Captain[rtd] John Obakpolor

I have waited this long before lending my voice to the issue above. In all my years in aviation industry both here and abroad, I have never come across a situation as this: where a group of people constitute themselves as judge and jury to pronounce judgment in a case which they are not professionally competent. It was a travesty  of justice.

I am pleased at the amount of resentment poured out by the Nigerian professionals who felt insulted by these masquerades and impostors parading themselves as the watch dogs of the industry.

How could they violate the sanctity of the 'Hallowed' chamber to perpetuate this heinous crime of character assassination in the name of oversight duty they knew nothing about? I thank God that Nigerians are not as ignorant as they thought.

The history of Aviation industry accidents/incidents is as old as the industry itself. When they happen, it takes time and patient to unravel and the causes found are used to proffer solution for future occurrence of such accident/incident.

The results are never punitive in nature, else the spate of accident/incident would be exacerbated. If we have to apply the Hope Uzodinma approach, there would be no Aviation industry in the next one year. I am happy that we operate a system of checks  and balances. 

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.

In an accident investigation, you must have an open mind to allow free flow of information. You do not draw conclusion until the evidence before you point you toward that direction. You do not work from answer to question but allow the answer to evolve itself.

That was Senator Hope Uzodinma's style. At its inauguration, his committee directed that the D.G, NCAA stepped aside to allow for unhindered investigation.

This is not a financial misappropriation matter. That was where he goofed. He was playing out  somebody’s script who have zero tolerance for healthy competition in the industry.

This idea was brought to me when I headed the administrative panel on the same DANA crash investigation. I thought it was a joke but I now know better.

How else can one explain why a committee of a legislative arm of government now wish to assume the role of NCAA in the issuance of Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and its revocation.

The two chambers joint committee members must be guided  in the way they trod 'carelessly' in Aviation terrain. Free flow of information is the bedrock of safety consolidation Aviation. 

We preach  REPORTING in CONFIDENCE with CONFIDENCE (RCC).

If this is achieved in the industry, confidence would have been restored to  the industry. Safety Management System  (SMS) must be fully entrenched and enforced on the operating airlines in the country. 

AIRCRAFT AGE IS NOT AN ISSUE

Much has been said about the age of  an aircraft as a cause of  frequent aircraft accident in Nigeria, but this is not correct.

The age of an aircraft has no adverse effect on its operational performance if the schedule maintenance is strictly adhered to. This  is what NCAA has been doing to make sure that airlines do not default in their maintenance schedule.

The  committee recommended  a 15years bar for any aircraft operating in Nigeria. This will not only make it impossible for airlines to re-fleet but also make it impossible for them to sustain themselves in business.

A well maintained old aircraft is better than a poorly maintained new aircraft. A Kenyan 737-800 that was three month old when it crashed in Cameroon as a result of wind shear; that is  weather related cause.

Bad weather does not discriminate between old or new aircraft and in this case.  What matters, is perfect air-man ship and discipline. An old aircraft could be retrofitted  and become new.

An aircraft has two major components; Air frame and Engine and they both have different life span. The engines are change from time to time as at when due but an Airframe, when it reached the designed age limit are taken out of service.

MD 83

Contrary to the committee findings MD 83 aircraft is very much in operation all over the world including countries in Africa. How far can emotion lead us when taking decision that will affect our economic structure.

During the era of Nigeria Airways which lost one of its aircraft in a crash, elicited a lot  of emotional out cry  and with a government fiat, the airline was made to dispose of its fleet six (6) F28 brand new Aircraft type without any technical reasons

When will this hasty and unsubstantiated decision making attitude stop? Enough is enough. Seek for professional advice before taking such far reaching decisions. 

MILITARY HELICOPTER CRASH

A lot has been said about this crash. High profile emergency meeting held and communique was issued at the end; all pointing towards suspicion. It is unfortunate that we have gotten to this stage in our Aviation industry.

The military is a place where such thought should not be entertained because it is apolitical and non partisan in nature.

Why would any one doubt the outcome of a military investigation to suggest the inclusion of an independent observer in the name of “consultant”. If  the situation has gotten to this stage in our society, then God help us.

Let me at this juncture express my heart felt condolence to Mr. President , the family of those who lost their dear ones in that horrible accident; I joined the teeming Nigerians to pray for the repose of the souls of the  departed.

Military crashes happen every now and then. They happen that we might learn from the result of the investigation. There has been suggestion that the military operation be put under the Ministry of Aviation. That should be the last thing to be considered.

I attended a workshop in the UK last October to review the performance of MILITARY AVIATION AUTHORITY (MAA) in UK. This body came to being as an after might of the crash of a reconnaissance aircraft (Nimrod) in Afghanistan. The fallout from that report gave birth to MAA.

It was found out that there was no unified regulatory authority for the military. Every arm of the  service was operating on its own. There was no interference from the CAA.

With the MAA the services are brought under one command and made the relationship with the CAA seamless.

The volume of our operations may not be in the magnitude of the UK, it would be appropriate if we started thinking along that line.

CONCLUSION

It is high time we started doing things the right way. There is no room for ignorance , hypocrisy, cheap popularity and hatchet man job in Aviation industry.

Bogus consultants whose knowledge is centered around vendetta and destruction of the few proven hands in the industry should be exposed and stopped. It is time to sheath the sword and do some constructive work to the good of the nation. 

I wish you all COMPLEMENT of the season. 

Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd.) was former Chairman National Society of Engineers (Aviation)

Dana Air and Institutional Racism in Nigeria?

By Ifeayin Okoro


Aviation Minister, Mrs Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi

On the surface there seems not to be much to talk about when it comes to the subject of racism and racial discrimination in Nigeria. But a better appreciation of the topic and careful observation of our social life reveal a worrisome trend with far-reaching consequences for our socio-political and economic development as a people.

According to UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the term ‘Racial Discrimination’ refers to any distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

Considering the global ‘hierarchical structure’ which places white at the top and black at the bottom, and following the above definition, Black Africans, generally, appear not to have the power or privilege to be racist towards white people, even in their own countries. The existence of racist tendencies among Africans is more evident in the widespread inter-ethnic, inter-communal and inter-religious violence in most parts of the continent.

In Nigeria, the persistence of the Osu Caste system in the Central and Southern parts of the country, the continued large scale exploitation of natural resources in the Niger-Delta region without mitigating the effects on the people, the application of the Sharia system in the North with harsher sentences for women and the Boko Haram menace are just a few examples.

While these forms of racial discrimination amongst Nigerians have long lived with us, the idea of Nigerians being racist towards non-Nigerians is rather alien to most people. Nigerians, often described as one of the most-friendly and accommodating people in the world, can’t possibly be perpetrators of acts of racial discrimination against foreigners? Or can we?

In 2009, a group of Commonwealth MPs were refused carriage by a boat company operating in the Niger Delta. The four white South Africans and a mixed-race person from Namibia who were barred from a boat trip to Bonny Island cried racism. Outraged, the Black MPs decided not to use the boat company's services in solidarity. Their cries reached the governor of Rivers State who apologised and promised to use his power to force the boat company to change their policy. This experience was cited as proof that racism against white people exists in Nigeria.

Several other examples of racial discrimination against foreigners in Nigeria have also been given. However, whatever doubts remained in me about the seriousness of the trend were quickly dismissed following the Dana Air crash of June 3, 2012. The almost mob-like ‘guilty verdict’ slammed on the airline by the court of public opinion and the media, based mainly on the ‘Indian origin’ of its owners than any rational evaluation (as official investigation into the cause of the accident is still on-going), as well as the actions of Government in the aftermath of the accident, all have racist innuendoes.

Agreed, prior to the Dana incident Nigerians had enjoyed 5 years of zero-accident and relative calm in the aviation sector with the tumultuous crashes of years before a distant memory. So, I can understand the public rage and outcry that greeted the June 3 crash; it not only inflicted new pains but re-opened old wounds too. Of course, it is also very normal for people to try to deduce reasons for such a tragic incident and apportion blames where they feel they have a ‘strong case’ to do so.

But does the Indian origin of the owners qualify as a ‘strong case’? Well, from the ‘kill the bloody Indians’ shouts that rented the air after the accident, it appears race was a major consideration for most Nigerians in determining culpability in the crash. The fact that there is actually a legally constituted body (Accident Investigation Bureau) equipped to investigate cause of air crashes in Nigeria, with technical support from the US National Transportation Safety Board, didn’t seem to matter much. There was no need for the AIB to even do any real investigations on this one: “the owners are ‘Indians’ and, as such, are guilty”, Nigerians had reached a verdict!

Even if one chose to ignore the racist position of individual commentators on the Dana Air subject, or excuse the media for shamefully placing undue emphasis on the race of the airline owners in reporting the accident (of course their major concern is to sell their papers, so the more sensational the reporting the better for them) how can we forgive the Government, who should know better than to play the race card, especially when the entire world has its eye on the country following such a traumatic accident?

As painful as the Dana incident is, there is no justification for reaction based mainly on race or ethnicity, as the actions of Government suggest. Up until the Dana case, no airline in Nigeria, or anywhere else in the world, has had its operating license suspended following an accident even when it met all regulatory requirements for aircraft and proper insurance documentation. Bellview, for instance, was not stopped from flying for a day until the management made a decision to stop its operations months after, for commercial reasons. Sosoliso’s operations were halted due insurance matters. So why was Dana’s case different?

The world over, the norm is not to ground an airline following an accident. As long as the civil aviation authority in the affected country can confirm that the other aircraft in the airline’s fleet are airworthy and that the airline is compliant with ALL applicable aviation regulations and safety standards, it is allowed to carry on with its operations while the aircraft accident investigators launch a full scale investigation into the cause of the accident.

This investigation usually takes time, and the final report is never ready in less than a year; as a matter of fact, the report of the British Airways crash of 2008 was only released in 2010 while that of the Air France crash of 2009 was only published in June 2012 – 3 years after the accident. Had the government of these countries acted based on sentiments (as in the Dana case) rather than international standards, BA and Air France may have remained on ground for 2 and 3 years respectively.

That the preliminary report of the investigation jointly conducted by the Nigerian AIB and the United States NTSB on the Dana crash is out is no longer news. And, contrary to the rumours that the crashed airplane was not airworthy, the facts show that the aircraft was in good condition. Paragraph 13 of the report states “A review of the aircraft technical logs of the previous 30 days did not indicate a condition. The airplane had last undergone maintenance on 1st June 2012, and after a return to service flight on 2nd June 2012, it was operated on four revenue flights (two round trips between LOS and ABV) and another four flights on 3rd June 2012.”

However, as per the submissions made by the Commissioner/CEO of AIB, Capt. M.S. Usman, “The content of this report is based on preliminary information. The Bureau will continue to conduct the investigation in a meticulous and methodical manner and release facts as they become validated”. Rather than come to hasty, non-evidence based conclusions, what we should do is wait for the outcome of the final report, and put pressure on the authorities to effect the recommendations of the bureau to prevent future occurrences and, if the airline or the regulator is found culpable then, make them face the full wrath of the law. This is the practice everywhere in the world.

As reported by the Ministry of Aviation, the airline has gone through a satisfactory technical, administrative and financial audit and has also completed a rigorous process of recertification, leading to the award of a new Air Operator Certificate by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). If it is found to have fulfilled all the requirements for a safe return to the air, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to fulfilling its obligations to the victims’ families as severally confirmed by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), what justification does the government or anyone have to keep the airline on ground? Surely, the race of its owners can’t be sufficient reason?

Racism, tribalism, nepotism and all the other forms of negative human relational ‘isms’ are a disease inhabiting the dirty crevices of the human soul. They are often symptomised by absurd stereotypes, fuelled by ignorance and thriving in the mind of the mentally, morally and spiritually stunted regardless of whether such predisposition is found in an illiterate person or an Emeritus professor. As Nigerians we need not look too far afield for a demonstration of its unfortunate effects; it's right here in our homes, in religious and educational institutions, and in governance. And until we shed this contemptible cloak of immaturity, we are going nowhere as a country.

The Federal Government must reaffirm to Nigerians and the whole world that discrimination between human beings on the grounds of race, colour or ethnic origin is an obstacle to friendly and peaceful relations among nations, and can jeopardize efforts to attract foreign direct investment in the country, by immediately returning to service a legitimate business concern which has over 500 Nigerians directly in its employ, and countless others indirectly.

This is most important, considering that the Charter of the United Nations is based on the principles of the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and that all Member States have pledged themselves to take joint and separate action, in co-operation with the Organization, for the achievement of one of the purposes of the United Nations which is to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

Ifeanyi Okoro, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Lagos

Dana Air insurers begin final settlement of $100,000

 

Jacky Hathiramani, CEO Dana Air(r) and Tony Usidamen, Communications Manager

Insurers of Dana Air, Thursday, commenced payment of USD 70,000 to families of victims of the June 3 disaster after having made advance payments of USD 30,000 to over 80 families. The Civil Aviation Act stipulates that the sum of USD 100,000 be paid as compensation to families of victims of air disasters.

Confirming the payment to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Tony Usidamen, Dana Air’s Head of Corporate Communications said “Following receipt of Letter of Authentification from the Probate Registry, our insurers have begun balance payment of USD 70,000 to affected families. Only 4 other families have, so far, presented the requisite Grant of Probate or Letter of Administration, and payment will shortly be made to them.”

Usidamen explained that inorder to assess and verify full compensation due and payable, it is necessary for claimants to produce the required Grants of Probate or Letters of Administration which would then have to be authenticated by the Probate Registry. “This is a customary procedure to ensure that just compensation is only paid to the right next-of-kin. Dana Air has no control over the speed with which the Probate Registry deals with the verification process, although maximum pressure is being exerted to expedite this.”

“Also, in the case of minors, a Letter of Guardianship has to be produced by the parent or guardian in order to access full payment. Again, this is not a pre-condition given by Dana Air or its insurers but a standard legal requirement to ensure that due compensation is paid only to those who have entitlement.”

Said Usidamen, “We appreciate how difficult this period is for all the families and are also aware of the challenges they are facing in getting the required legal documents for accessing the final payments. We, however, want to offer our assurances that they are not alone in the process and we will continue to work with the NCAA and other relevant authorities to assist them in every way possible. Thankfully, the Lagos State Government has promised to fast-track the process of obtaining the Letters of Administration from the Probate Registry.”

“Dana Air shares in the pain of all the affected families and we wish to re-iterate the readiness of our insurers to settle all claims in accordance with the law and available evidence, at the earliest opportunity,” Usidamen reassured.

Dana Drugs Donates to Flood Victims

Dr. Zanna Muhammad, Director – Administration & Supplies, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) receiving Dana Drugs’ donation of pharmaceutical products to flood disaster victims from Tony Usidamen, Head-Corporate Communications, Dana Group. With them are Pharm. Godwin Ediagbonya, Superintendent Pharmacist, Dana Drugs Limited (R) and Gurvinder Singh Rahil (L) also of Dana Drugs.

Dana Drugs Limited has donated items comprising pharmaceutical products as aid to victims of the recent flood disaster in Nigeria, in support of the relief efforts of the Federal Government in the affected states.

Speaking during the presentation of the items at the Abuja Headquarters of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Pharm. Godwin Ediagbonya, Superintendent Pharmacist, Dana Drugs Limited, said “Disasters, though no one prays for them, do happen. And when they do it is the collective responsibility of everyone, not just the Government, to rally around and support those affected.”

“Dana Drug’s gesture of donating pharmaceutical products to the victims of the recent flood disaster across some states of the federation is in fulfillment of this responsibility, and we hope that it will complement the efforts of the NEMA towards the rehabilitation and wellbeing of those affected. Our hearts go out to them and it is our prayer that God will strengthen them in this critical period and grant them full recovery.”

Receiving the items on behalf of the agency, Dr. Zanna Muhammad, NEMA’s Director of Administration & Supplies, expressed appreciation to the management of Dana Drugs for the donation. He said “The drugs provided will contribute in no small way in catering to the health needs of the displaced persons. We are indeed grateful to Dana for the kind gesture and offer our assurances that the products will be utilized by those who really need them.”

Dr. Muhammad also urged other companies to emulate Dana by supporting the efforts of the agency. In his words, “While the response from public-spirited individuals and corporate bodies like Dana has been commendable, a lot still needs to be done to ensure proper rehabilitation of the affected states and persons, and we will appreciate more support from companies and organizations in this regard.”

The recent flooding in Nigeria, which affected 34 out of the 36 states of the federation, has been described as the biggest natural disaster in the nation’s history. Through NEMA, the Government has established camps for the victims and has been providing food items and medical care to those affected.

...before another strike

 

By Stanley Omoniyi-Ajileye

I love former House of Representative member from Kogi State, Dino Melaiye not because he is an Ijumu man like me neither is it because we are both alumni of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State. I love him for his boldness and for self-confidence. However I think I have alternative reasoning on his position on federal government’s decision on the petroleum sector.

I need to say from onset that I belong to the school that believes that government is not subsidising our oil by a kobo. I think the problem is that, our leaders are either ignorant of the right word to use instead of subsidy or they are deliberately deceptive based on feelings that all Nigerians are fools. If a father calls his children fools, he remains their father.

Government is getting it wrong; we should get it right and correct those in government. I was a scholar of political economy and as such I often take a dialectical view at issues. The issue at stake is that, we have an oil sector that is not working and may never work for so many reasons among which is the fact that it belongs to us.

Anything owned by government belongs to all. Anything for all is in the real sense of it for nobody. So, whether you vandalize, destroy or steal anything that belongs to nobody, nobody will talk. Everybody will feel unaffected.

That was why the Nigerian Telecommunication company, NITEL died; that was why Nigeria Airways lost its wings and that was why our refineries may never refine a drop of oil.

There is a need to do for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC what former President Olusegun Obasanjo did to NITEL monopoly. There is need to do in our oil sector what was done to our aviation sector. Today Nigeria Airways is no more but we fly more conveniently. Today NITEL is no more but we make cheap calls. Cheaper than is obtained several places abroad. The last time I visited the United Kingdom, Connect card of five pounds could hardly sustain my call to Nigeria for five minutes.

Today on some of the network in Nigeria, one can call the United Kingdom for N12/min. That is what is achievable through liberalisation or privatisation.

The truth is that there is urgent need for government to remove its hands from business. I told a friend last week that government has no business in business.

We need private individuals to invest in the oil sector but the prospective investors are asking for the operation of market force as a determinant of price of the products. Like I said elsewhere, you and I will ask for the same if we have enough money to throw in.

These people want government kick start the system to see if we would go to the street or not. Truly, no one will want to test run such huge investment. They will need assurance of a violent-free operation.

Once upon a time, you needed about N50, 000 to get a SIM card. At that time I got UK mobile line for free in a gift shop at Piccadilly London. Today, we are getting there. My baby of the house is a little boy of eight; he recently took one of my abandoned phones and bought a N100 SIM card into it from his pocket. It is getting cheaper. It may soon be free.

So also, I foresee a day when oil will be so cheap here that gas stations or filling stations as the case may be, will give out gallons of their brands of engine oil as incentive to make us buy their petrol. This can only come true if we privatize the sector.

I need to explain this in simple economic rule. If government gives license to as many investors as possible and allows them to sell at the price of their choice, it is a question of time, the price will fall in two ways – it will force down Competition and he desire for profit maximization will compel each of them to establish refinery here to bring down cost of production.

So when I read that my beloved friend Dino is calling on people to protest again and that he is ready to die to stop the government, I said I should quickly tell him not to die yet. We still need him and many patriots like him in our state and our country.

The life of one man may be worth than the economy of a nation. Imagine the number of souls we have lost to our incessant street protests. I am not saying protesting obnoxious policy of government is wrong. But, viewing each case on its merit, this one is unnecessary. We only need to counsel government on a better approach to the whole issue. But the truth must be told, it is either we pay more today and pay less forever or we continue to protect the interest of few who are eating up our national economy. Don't let us be the rodent in our own groundnut field.

Stanley Ominiyi-Ajileye is a media consultant and business owner, based in Kogi State

Jigawa as hope for Nigeria

President Goodluck Jonathan

By George Esezobor Uriesi

Hmmm. I just left Jigawa State (6/11/2012) in Northern Nigeria after accompanying the President on a 2-day State visit there. I must confess that I was totally blown away by what I saw. The Governor, Sule Lamido, totally astonished me. He started the trip by telling us his vision for the State. He said he did not accept that we had to be backward. Hence he developed a 2 pronged, futuristic strategy for his state's transformation. He decided he needed to address education to raise the standards of thinking of the future leaders of the state to make them internationally competitive. Secondly, he felt he needed to act on the psyche of his people to make them better citizens, with raised standards of everything resulting in much higher self-esteem, so that after his eight years, they could sustain the momentum and continue to develop themselves and the state at a good rate? Now this sounds like right?

Well, we went to the most remote areas you can imagine by chopper to commission schools. This guy has built a chain of 'proper' schools; proper schools. He's also building a fantastically equipped teachers training college to develop the sort of teachers his vision envisages. As well as Jigawa State University, the site and extent of work of which is already remarkable (again in a faraway village). But most spectacularly, he's built a special school for the gifted from Primary through Secondary school. That school reminds me of FGC Warri when I enrolled in 1979, just brand new this time. The primary school kids put together a play for us that was just spectacular. And this is in some remote village also.

In the State Capital, Dutse, it is just simply amazing what he has done. A network of world class roads (and many still being built), a major water works, top flight government offices! When asked why, he said he needed to get into the heads of government workers, to make them realize they needed not be backward. We then went to commission the new NYSC orientation camp. It is by far the best in the country as stated by the NYSC chief and it is just unbelievable! World class, if there is any such thing for NYSC camps! Complete with a sports complex (soccer field, basket and volley ball courts and a proper athletics track), well-appointed clinic, et al! If I had found such a facility when I reported to do my service in Borno State many years ago, I would have felt respected and dignified and would definitely feel differently about Nigeria and my level of commitment and patriotism (at the time)!

Mr Prez then went to lay the foundation stone of the new Jigawa airport. The man developed a blue print and is going ahead and getting things done! I came away from there with a new level of respect for some of our political leaders, albeit very few still!

But why have I taken the time to write all of this on facebook (I can just hear you ask)? For a simple reason - Lamido is five years as Governor of Jigawa today. His monthly allocation from the Federal fiscus is approximately N1.7b. Jigawa's IGR is approximately N200m per month. So the man has all of about N2b available to him every month. And he has out of this modest amount, accomplished a helluva lot in five years.

This brings me to my pain. I know some South-south States that received N17b a month and have little or nothing to show for it. As a South-southern, I was put to shame by the palpable progress in Jigawa State in five years! Had to write about it, knowing how difficult it is to get any progressive thing done in Nigeria and admiring of the discipline, commitment and dogged determination that it has taken this governor not to waste his State's meager resources on sheer squander mania - the easier option!!! Transformation can still happen in Nigeria with the right leadership! Jigawa proves it!

George Uriesi is the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN