Nigeria: Cofffins in Nigerian Air Space

7 November 2006
opinion

Lagos — In the past one year, five fatal air mishaps have been recorded in Nigeria, the latest being the October 29, 2006 crash of the Boeing 737-200 aircraft operated by the Nigeria airline, Aviation Development Company (ADC). 104 of the 111 persons on board including top government and religious leaders and their families died in the ill fated flight. Nigeria has a law limiting the age of passenger aircraft in the fleet of local airlines to 22 but it is not enforced.

This is one mishap too many, yet there is potentially no end in sight. Each time these accidents happen, the political leaders always come out to shed crocodile tears but they shortly thereafter forget and continue as if nothing happened, only to be jolted by another accident a couple of weeks or months later. It has been reported by analysts that most of the aircraft used by local airlines in Nigeria are not air- worthy but the elite in leadership of the country have not shown enough will to tame the problem. For instance, the aircraft involved in the latest accident was manufactured 23 years ago and without the necessary upgrades that would be compulsorily enforced if it were to fly in North American airspace.

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