OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT, MR. MUSA YAR'ADUA

When your car breaks down , you'll pull to one side of the road to take care of it likewise with your boat or ship except that you may have to paddle to the rescue but this is not the case of an airplane. When are we going to learn from all air accidents? Aviation accident investigation first motive is to learn to prevent future occurrence but this is not the case in Nigeria.

Aviation search and rescue procedure during any crash is to get the rescue team to the spot of the accident within twenty minutes of the accident and at the worst within one hour of the accident, but in the absence of this, it becomes a race against time.

I was involved in the crash of an airforce C-130 accident at Ejigbo, Lagos where most of the died passengers of suffocation due to the fact that the government did not have any search and rescue team inplace; but thanks to Pan African Airlines using my expertise in the field to help recover the bodies and also coordinating with the then Special Marshal FRSC Professor Wole Soyinka and his team. The Port Harcourt crash was also due to the lateness of the rescue team to the scene. Recently, a batch of Army officers going to Obudu ranch died in an air crash, to mention few of our accidents.

This would not be an issue if we did not have experts to handle this tragic accidents, but we allow Politics to over ride the procedure of a safety conscious profession. I have written a number of letters offering my expertise to past presidents, given my book on search and rescue to two former presidents, taken part in different seminars in Nigeria concerning aviation safety in Nigeria, all stressing the need for a search and rescue team. Enforcing safety in Nigeria aviation industry is of utmost importance but instead we allow Politics and corruption to drive our decision in putting together the right team, All these prevent Agency such as NEMA, NCAA from operating properly.

advertisement

The formation of these agencies was recommended to the then Chairman Presidential Task force who is now the Chief of Nigerian Air Force but instead of implementing the full report, we partially  did. We brought in Capt Kiddie Dare who turned Mobil aviation Department around, Dr Harold Demoren for his previous good job and knowledge at FCAA but did not allow them to enforce what is good for Nigeria.

And we also have expertise like me on search and rescue who has done so much for Nigeria and still wants to do more to save the life of Nigerians, but would not be given the opportunity since I am not interested in Politics.

I want to seriously indulgence the President to enforce the Safety standard procedure of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Nigeria Aviation industry for the safety of the country. Yours Sincerely,


Thanks
Olufemi Adeniji (Femi)
276, S.W. 34th street
Ft. Lauderdale. FL 33315
USA