Nigerians are still in grief since Friday, May 21, when a military plane disaster claimed the lives of Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other top-ranking officers, on their way to Kaduna on official assignment.
Others in the ill-fated Beechcraft 350i aircraft were: Brig-Gen MI Abdulkadir, Brig-Gen Olayinka, Brig-Gen Kuliya, Major La Hayatu, Major Hamza, and Sgt Umar.
The crew members were: Flt Lt TO Asaniyi, Flt Lt AA Olufade, Sgt Adesina, and ACM Oyedepo.
The shock of losing 11 patriots in one fell swoop, not in a war, is too devastating for a nation struggling to tackle increasing insecurity and terrorists activities.
The unfortunate incident has once again necessitated increased demand for probes into the cause of military air crashes in recent time.
In less than three months, the country has recorded three fatal military air disasters. On Sunday, February 27, a small Nigerian Air Force passenger plane crashed outside Abuja Airport, after reporting engine failure. All the seven personnel on board the plane died in the accident.
The plane, also a Beechcraft King Air 350i, was on its way to Minna, 110 kilometres (68 miles) north-west of the capital of Niger State, Air Force spokesman, Ibikunle Daramole, said in a statement, adding: “The aircraft crashed while returning to the Abuja Airport after reporting engine failure.”
He said the Chief of Air Staff has ordered an investigation into the accident.
But while grappling with that sad incident, another crash occurred. But this time it was an Alpha-Jet plane, reportedly on a mission against Boko Haram. But the narratives around the aircraft remain bizarre till date. Nigerian Air Force said the aircraft “lost radar contact.”
Curiously, the aircraft had been declared missing on Wednesday, March 31. Sadly, two officers were on board the plane at the time it was reportedly missing, and later declared crashed.
Strangely, days later, Boko Haram released a video showing the “crashed” jet and the dead crew members.
The crashes have dealt mortal blows to Nigeria, a nation currently facing security challenges virtually on all sides.
Too many theories as to the cause(s) of the tragedy are being propounded by experts and even non-experts since the dark weekend. And, of course, there are too many controversies. Some have blamed it on machine error, human error. Some believe it is an “act of God.” But some have simply expressed lack of confidence in the system, declaring openly their frustration by the government, when asked to express their thoughts whether investigation will help unravel the cause of the crashes rather than mere conjectures.
It is not as if there has not been previous investigations into causes of air cashes in the country. For instance, the Chief of Air Staff directed that immediate investigation be carried out when the February 27 disaster occurred. The investigation has not been made public till date. It is not the only one.
The question is: What has happened to past investigations? No answer. But reacting to the May 21 crash, Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, said that the Accident Investigation Board has been directed to unravel the immediate and remote cause(s) of the unfortunate accident. He solicits the support and understanding of all Nigerians.
Concerns are growing over Federal Government’s silence in the face of the accidents. Many expect the government to take decisive step and make public the outcomes of past investigations. There are fears that any investigations to determine the cause of the death of chief of army staff and 10 others might go the way of previous probes. However, that can allay the fears by allowing the investigations to be thorough and proper, conducted under a short period and made public. Because it is of public interest that general safety of the aircraft is ensured. Often times, engine failure is blamed for the air crashes. Nevertheless, there are other factors, ranging from poor maintenance to capacities (psychological and mental) of pilots.
Presently, it is doubtful if the aircraft in the fleet can pass common integrity test, in terms of safety. The country cannot afford to continue to lose its officers to avoidable death.
The country cannot overlook nor shy away from the fact that some equipment have deficiencies because of lack of maintenance over the years. And the right thing to do is ground the plane until is certified worthy. When machines are over-worked without adequate maintenance, crashes become inevitable. But it is always difficult to unmask what went wrong to the extent of causing a tragic mishap such as the one of May 21, when secrecy is maintained by those who should expose the problem with the system. Somebody must have certified the aircraft before take-off. Similarly, the aircraft must have received landing signals when its initial plan to land at its designated aerodrome at the Air Force base in Kaduna was aborted due to bad weather.
But to determine what went wrong with the aircraft is to look beyond working on assumptions. On several occasions, emotions have played a significant role in deciding the right step to take when a decisive action was the only thing required to address the situation.
Consequently, the same problem continues to plague the country. And, unfortunately, military fatal air mishaps are becoming incessant. But enough is enough. The Federal Government must wake and put in place minimum safety standards with maximum sanctions against anyone who compromises these standards.
Given the rate of the accidents, it is absolutely imperative for the Federal Government to take bold and urgent steps to investigate causes of the crashes and, in the process, evaluate the state of the fleet of the aircraft and, if need be, declare an emergency in the nation’s air space.
With this, you pay a shining tribute to the memories of the officers who sacrificed their lives to the service of the nation.
•Nwokocha is Managing Editor, Nation’s Capital, Abuja, News Express.