2012 Dana Air Crash : Can Tom Uhia And Sponsors Stop Playing Petty Politics With The Dead?

Publisher of Power Steering Magazine, Tom Oga Uhia

On the 3rd of June, 2012, Dana Air Flight 992 scheduled for flight from Abuja to Lagos crashed into crashed into a densely-populated area in the north of Lagos and bursted into flames killing a total of 159 people. 153 were on board while 6 (six) were on the ground where the aircraft attempted emergency landing.

The McDoneell Douglas MD-83 aircraft was one of the company's aircrafts serving domestic routes. The aircraft had shortly left Margaret Ekpo International Airport Calabar to Abuja where it loaded passengers for another domestic trip to Lagos. But this time, the trip was not as successful as the ones to and fro Calabar.

Worried by the incident, the country's aviation authorities suspended Dana’s operating licence on June 5, 2012, two days after the crash. Although it was briefly allowed to resume operation in January 2013 after meeting some safety standards, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) conducted investigation that took over five years to unearth the root cause of the crash.

The AIB finally published it report on Monday March 13, 2017, fives years after the incident. The report revealed that the failure of two engines on the Dana Air flight mid-air on approaching the Lagos airport was responsible for the crash.

The AIB report stated that "Engine number one lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number two lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration".

The Investigators also added that "Lack of situation awareness, inappropriate decision-making and poor airmanship”, were also partly responsible for the crash.

Reliable Nigerian online Newspaper, Premium Times in its report in March 14th, 2017 had credited the AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru, explaining further that "the inappropriate omission of the use of the checklist, the crew’s inability to appreciate the severity of the power-related problem, and their subsequent failure to land at the nearest suitable airfield contributed to the crash".

While stating that everybody was satisfied with the final report and those found wanting have made necessary adjustments, the report noted that the five years long investigated involved officials from the airline, engine manufacturers Pratt & Whitney and international aviation experts.

However, eight years later, Tom Oga Uhia, publisher of a relatively unknown Magazine, "Power Steering" which is circulated around the central area in Abuja has gone viled with his false allegations that, Nigeria Minister of State for Power, Prince Goddy Jedy-Agba, OFR orchestrated the crash.

Minister of State, Power, Prince Goddy Jedy-Abba, OFR

He wickedly and falsely claimed, despite the overwhelming evidences published by the AIB and subsequent admittance of the company, Dana Air that Agba who was at the time the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC planned the crash to eliminate some people to cover up some alleged corrupt practices in the NNPC.

Uhia in all his politically motivated but poorly executed plan (publication) aimed at bringing the name of the Minister to dispute failed to support his allegations with any verifiable evidence nor quote any authority in the aviation industry or Dana air as his source. 

He also deliberately, maliciously and mischievously avoided mentioning the report of the AIB which has not only been authenticated but gazetted by the federal government in his post. That he even stayed for eight years and waited for Mr. Jedy-Agba to become Minister before reawakening a sad incident that happened eight years ago say it all about his desperate move to impress his benefactors by publishing false stories about the Minister.

The so-called Journalist in one of his unsubstantiated reports claimed that Jedy-Agba bribed the Nigeria Police to cover and destroy the evidences linking him to the incident. The Police, in a move to clear its corporate image especially at a time the organization is trending for negative reasons secured an arrest warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction, arrested him and are currently prosecuting him. But again, his likes in the media profession who report everything by face value without investigation have blamed the Minister for his ordeal in the hands of the Police.

The media has been awashed false claims that the Minister ordered his perpetual detention for "doing his job". The question is, let's admit without conceding that that's the case, when has outright blackmail become part of the job of a Journalist? Is being a Journalist now a license to abuse other people's rights without being called to face the law? Is the Nigeria constitution against prosecution of Journalists for any wrong doing? 

It's quite unfortunate that people who should have called Uhia to order when he was doing his hatched job for his paymasters encouraged him into problem that they can't help. As it is now,  instead of the lies and media propaganda against the Minister, they should reach out to Uhia's Lawyer with evidencea of all the claims he has made against the Police and without hesitation, the law which is no respecter of any man would play out for his release.

Sadly, this may not be the case as they believe being a journalist places one above the law even when other people's rights are trampled upon. 

It's really sad that at a time Nigeria and the world are going through one of the most difficult moments with the outbreak of the Coronavirus Pandemic followed by global youths restiveness, instead of leaders at all levels to close ranks to find solution to the many problems confronting the country, some people rather choose to play politics with the death of 159 innocent people, some who are were even on critical national assignment.

One thing is certain, Jedy-Agba has served this country judiciously as GGM in NNPC where he was instrumental to so many reforms in the oil and gas sector and has left no stone unturned in bringing to bear, President Muhammadu Buhari's reforms in the power sector as Minister to improve power supply in the country. He won't be distracted for any reason with sponsored media attack on him. He remains very committed to the Nigeria and his contract with the people is to always give his best to improve lives at every given opportunity.