Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended his decision to suspend Dana Air operations, citing an audit report conducted during his predecessor’s tenure that deemed the airline unfit for flying.
Keyamo noted that the audit report, dating back two years, revealed several infractions by Dana Air, indicating its unsuitability for flight operations.
He pointed to past incidents, such as the notorious event where a door of a Dana Air aircraft opened mid-flight, as evidence of safety concerns.
During an appearance on the Channels TV program “Politics Today,” Keyamo expressed concern for the safety of the flying public, stressing that any tragic incident would ultimately hold him accountable as Minister of Aviation.
He said, “I am sure you have heard consistent incidents involving Dana Air before I came into office. I am sure you heard that, at a point, on approach to the runway, the door of its (Dan Air) aircraft flew open. I am sure you know that popular incident. Who are the engineers that are supposed to look at this if the door of an aircraft flew open?
“There were internal reports before I came in under my predecessor that showed a series of infractions by the airline, and the conclusion was that they were not healthy enough to fly. What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know. While we argue back and forth about who has power, my point is that the flying public is at risk, and if any tragic incident happens, it is the Minister that would be called. Nigerians will not spare the minister.
“The last thing I want to happen to me as Aviation Minister is to have blood on my hands. I mean the blood of innocent Nigerians caused by negligence or deep complicity of those who are supposed to be regulators of the aviation industry. As minister, my job is to supervise them, and to ensure they carry out their duties. My job is not to regulate. For those quoting the laws, they should know that I know the law more than they do.”
