A year after the Dana air crash of June 3, 2012 , BUKOLA ADEBAYO writes on the moods of their relatives and friends and how regulation is still an issue in the aviation sector
For the relatives, friends and associates of some of the victims of the Dana Air crash of June 3, 2013, the social media is an avenue to continue their relationship with the deceased. Although, the death pangs have been absolute, a year after the tragedy, concerned Nigerians still manage to communicate with the dead via the Internet.
Among them are the loved ones of the late Rev. Ayodeji Cole and his wife, Ngozi, of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, whose (victims') Facebook pages are still alive.
One of the late clergyman's relatives, Anegbe Florence, posted a message on his wall on the day that was supposed to be his birthday. That was November 23. She said, "Papa, today was supposed to be your birthday. But you aren't here. I composed a text for you, like I always do. How I wish you were here to read it. I miss your response. I miss your voice. I miss you, uncle! Continue to rest in perfect peace."
Another devout follower, Bettty Yabrifa, said, "Still having tears in my eyes with the thought of you both."
A visit to www.memoriesofmaimuna.dinstudio.com, the website created in memory of the late members of the Anyene family (six of them – father, mother and four children – died in the crash) by friends and family members, also shows that the people are still mourning their tragic death.
The message on the 'In Remembrance' section of the website titled, "3rd of June, 2013 will mark exactly 365 days since God called our son/daughter /brother/sister/nephews/nieces/uncle/aunty/friends home. We will remember the time we shared with them on the 29th of June 2013.
"O God, you gave us faith, hope and grace to hold on and we thank you for continuing to be our light and guiding us out of the darkness of grief. Bless each memory we have of them, that they may always live in our hearts and minds. Forever remembered."
Although no Facebook wall could be directly attributed to the couple, a check on the social network showed that some of the classmates of the wife, Maimuna opened a fan page to raise a memorial scholarship fund in her honour. According to them, the fund will be used to recognise the best graduating student of History at her alma mata, Queens College, Lagos.
The fan page, with the title, ''Friends & Family for Maimuna Mijindadi Anyene Memorial Scholarship Fund'', was created on August 14, 2012.
Also on Facebook, families and sympathisers created a memorial page titled, ' Dana Airline Crash Victims Memorial Site'. Followers on this page usually post links of news updates on the investigation of the crash. They also shared a tribute video and song, which featured video clips and live footage showing how the remains of the victims were rescued from the site of the crash in Iju.
When the plane came down in fire
It was not the first time that an airplane would crash in the country, but it was the most devastating because of the number of causalities recorded. It had taken off from Abuja on Sunday, June 3, 2012. But at a time it was expected to cruise into a smooth descent, it crashed into two houses at the Iju area of Lagos.
It was a total loss as 146 passengers, seven crew members and about 10 residents on ground died almost instantly. Homes, offices, warehouses and other sources of livelihood also perished with the plane.
As it normally happens in such a circumstance, the tragic reality unfolded into more domestic, business and even regulatory crises days and months after. For some of the victims, some children suddenly became orphans as they lost both parents in the crash. For some, it was even a case of complete sweep – because fathers, mothers and their children died in it. In some other cases still, husbands turned widowers or vice-versa.
Dana Air, is still struggling to shake off the tragedy. In a blink of an eye, the operating licence of the company was revoked by the Federal Government. That meant an abrupt end to its source of revenue, apart from the fact that it had millions of dollars to pay as compensation to the families of the victims.
For the Nigerian government, the crash provoked what can be called another round of trials. It was time for stakeholders within and outside the country to impatiently watch how it was going to handle the matter. A panel of enquiry was consequently set up to investigate the cause of the crash.
In a dramatic turn of events, accounts by witnesses, including an official of the airline, suggested that several faults had been reported before the crash but this fell on deaf ears and were ignored by the aviation authorities as they continued to clear the aircraft for flight operations.
The Joint Committee on Aviation of both chambers of the National Assembly that investigated the crash in their report also recommended that Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren, should be sacked.
Investigations also revealed that there was no certified engineer for the MD83 aircraft in Nigeria, yet the NCAA approved it for flight operations in the country.
The chair of the House Committee on Aviation, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, in its verdict said, "The aircraft had five air returns before the crash and only one was due to bird strike. The others were caused by faults in the aircraft.
"NCAA should have grounded the aircraft but the agency did not care about the lives of Nigerians. Each time a fault was detected, NCAA continued to clear the aircraft for flying."
The scenarios following the crash cleared any doubt that the operations of the aviation industry in Nigeria were below international safety standards, a factor that should not be compromised at any time in the sector.
More than 60 families have gone to seek redress in court not only to address their dissatisfaction with the terms of compensation and benefits,but also to demand justice for a disaster they believe could been averted if not for an error of judgement and negligence on the part of the airline's management and the aviation authority in the country.
This incident has beamed the searchlight on the safety, regulations and modus operandi in the aviation industry, Nigerians have continued to question the state of airlines, regulators and other related agencies. And questions are still being asked.
It is obvious that the current administration has taken a major step in renovating and expanding many of the airports in the country. But there is fear that in terms of policy development and implementation, much still need to be done.
As sensitive as the industry is, stakeholders are often appalled at some of the policies made by the authorities. In January, for instance, many people, to say the least, got confused when the Ministry of Aviation lifted the ban on Dana's licence, while the issues involved were still pending. Apart from the fact that the cause of the crash had not been fully unravelled, many of the victims had not been compensated. Up till now, compensation remains an issue, although legal disputes have been advanced as part of the cause of delay.
Another issue that has fuelled controversy is the grounding of the private jet of Rivers State Government by the NAMA. The agency had alleged irregularities in flight procedures, with further allegations of lack of transparency in the process of acquiring it also making the deal a subject of probe by the EFCC also. But the political victimisation suspected by many, since Governor Rotimi Amaechi has fallen out with President Goodluck Jonathan, came to the fore again recently when the House of Representatives berated NAMA for allegedly operating on a false alarm.
Yet, the regulators came out with another 'surprise' recently when it banned private jet owners from carrying friends and business associates in their air planes. This decision caused another round of uproar. Although many Nigerians had started raising questions on the proliferation of private jets in the country, they wondered why such an overbearing rule should be meted out to those who can afford private jets.
While these and other related developments appear too mild to be given attention when the handling of plane crash issue is concerned, analysts believe that they help in gauging how serious minded the regulators are, and how much importance is attached to the transport system that ought to be held sacred.
Mixed feelings from memorial service
Meanwhile, hopes of many Nigerians that families of the victims be promptly compensated by Dana seems to be under threat due to what the company call widespread in-family squabbles. The company says over 60 of such affected families are currently in court.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, Dr. George Ossai, also corroborated this factor in Lagos on Sunday, at a memorial service held for the victims.
He said, "The airline fully insured all passengers. The problem is about 20 families have been fully compensated. For the others there are family squabbles." Ossi had represented the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Odua, at the event held at Saint Leo Catholic Church in Ikeja.
"Some (families) are in court. Some can't agree who will take the compensation. If they all had agreed, by now, we won't be talking about compensation," he explained, adding that the ministry was doing all it could to ensure that everyone gets what is due to him or her."
Last week, Dana management said only 11 families had been fully compensated and 95 others have received initial compensation of $30,000, while more than 60 relatives have gone to court, including those who had collected initial compensation.
According to Ossai, the bickering among family members over money makes it difficult for relatives to get the letter of administration from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice – despite the fact that the ministry has made the process easier but in-fighting among family members has complicated things.
"The ministry (aviation) is taking all measures to prevent a future occurrence of what happened last year," he said.
