Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Vice presidential candidate Fola Adeola yesterday in Abeokuta recounted how the plane conveying him and other chieftains crash-landed in Bauchi on Tuesday. He described his survival as” a manifestation of God’s benevolence and mercy.”
Adeola, who hails from Ogun State, spoke to party supporters at the Abeokuta home of former Governor Olusegun Osoba. The running-mate to presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu said the crash-land was a national embarrassment and negligence on the part of the managers of the airstrip – the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
“I thank God that I’m not injured and I did not die. But the incident gave me a lot of concern. We never knew that our plane crash-landed until somebody told me. It was Ribadu who later told me that I had just escaped death,” he said.
Adeola said he did not know how bad the situation was until he saw blood stains on the plane. The place landed on some animals that strayed to the tarmac of the airstrip.
Adeola said he was in Abeokuta to seek the cooperation and mandate of Ogun State people for the Ribadu/Adeola ticket. He pledged to represent them adequately if they win at the elections,
Adeola, a former bank managing director, said it took one week before he could make up his mind to accept the invitation of Ribadu to be his running mate.
Osoba, Ogun state ACN Chairman Alhaji.Tajudeen Bello and ACN governorship candidate Senator Ibikunle Amosun, assured him of their support and readiness to deliver 100 per cent of Ogun votes to the Ribadu/Adeola ticket.
Barely 24 hours after a Hawker Siddeley 125 aircraft belonging to Kings Air rammed into eight goats on the Bauchi airstrip runway, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has begun a post-incident inspection of the site.
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the agency saddled with investigating air accidents, has also dispatched a team of investigators to the scene.
The director-general of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, yesterday explained that the inspection of the runway and the aircraft revealed that the flap on the left hand side of the aircraft was damaged and two goats were found dead.
Demuren said the runway was closed to traffic at 12.28 local time as part of safety precautionary measures and reopened at 12.45 local time after the inspection and clearing of the dead animals.
The six passengers and three crew members, including Captain Wale Salami, were unhurt.
A statement issued by the NCAA reads: “On March 8,2011, about 12.28 pm, a chartered HS125 aircraft with registration number 5N BMR, operated by Kings Air, touched down at the Bauchi Airstrip.
“While on landing roll, about eight goats strayed across the runway. The aircraft hit two goats but the Captain was able to maintain his course on the runway centerline and parked the aircraft on the apron safely.”
AIB spokesman Tunji Oketunbi said following the notification it received on the accident, the AIB dispatched investigators to the scene of the accident.
Fed Govt rules out sabotage
The Federal Government yesterday denied any possibility of sabotage in the near mishap at the Bauchi airstrip involving the plane conveying key officials of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
The Federal Government also warned against politicising the issue.
The plane carrying ACN presidential candidate’s running-mate Fola Adeola collided with some goats and sheep upon landing on the tarmac. The ACN said it suspected sabotage.
The issue came up for discussion in yesterday’s weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
The council extended the government’s goodwill message to the ACN and those on the aircraft.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, with whom were Minister of Aviation Fidelia Njeze and Minister of Interior Capt. Emmanuel Ihanacho, disclosed that the government’s position was taken after receiving a briefing on the incident from Mrs Njeze.
He also noted that fencing of the Bauchi airstrip had been on before the incident.
According to Maku, the council expressed regrets over the incident, adding: “We are glad that the worst didn’t happen and that they are hale and hearty because that would have been very tragic for Nigeria and, indeed, for our aviation industry.”
As part of the measures to guide against reccurrence, the minister said the Federal Government had been fencing airstrips across the country.
Maku said: “Contrary to reports in the papers today, the report from the Aviation ministry indicated that the plane had landed safely and was taxing before some animals strayed onto the runway. The Ministry of Aviation is taking necessary precaution to put a stop to this in future.
“The fencing of the airstrip is ongoing but indeed politicising it is not very decent. To say that it was sabotage, again is something we believe is undue politicisation of the incident.”
Mrs Njeze said the Bauchi airstrip’s runway was closed for just 17 minutes to clean it up and, thereafter, airplanes were allowed to land.
“So, there was no act of sabotage, but what we call in aviation circle force majeure and it’s nobody’s fault. We have started fencing the airstrip and, unfortunately, this particular one, animals stray onto it. Once we conclude the fencing, which the contractor has promised will be completed in two weeks, thereafter, such incidents will not happen again. The airplane had touched down and was taxing when the goats got onto the runaway. No plane crashed landed as was reported,” Njeze said.
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