DANA: Jonathan vows to make Nigeria airspace 'safe'

By The Citizen

Remembering the 153 Dana Airline passengers who lost their lives last year, President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday vowed to leave no stone unturned towards making Nigeria airspace safe.

Speaking after unveiling a Memorial Cenotaph and Remembrance Service in honour of the victims of the air mishap at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, he said the government in the last one year has taken adequate measures to keep Nigeria airspace safe.

But he warned that maximum vigilance should be kept by all stakeholders in the industry in order to prevent reoccurrence.

Stressing that Nigeria has learnt new lessons from every incident, he said that efforts will not be spared towards strengthening the Nigeria's aviation industry regulations.

He said: 'Today, I want to say to all my countrymen and women and the entire world that we will make our air space safe. In this regard, I reiterate our determination to do everything humanly possible to prevent reoccurrence of this unfortunate tragedy. In the aftermath of the Dana air crash, additional safeguards to enhance overall safety of flying in Nigeria were immediately put in place.'

'You will recall that the minister of Aviation with government's approval appointed the technical and administrative review panel comprising of highly qualified and experienced industry professionals to review the operational, technical and managerial practice that existed in all airlines, who operate domestically.'

'The assignment of the panel was separate from that of the statutory investigation of the accident carried out by the Accident Investigation Bureau. The panel was established to uncover any contributory lapses that may have existed in the industry so that they could be speedily addressed to enhance the overall safety of Nigeria's aviation industry.'