Our encounter with ill-fated Dana plane – Ministers

- from By Ben Agande -

Three ministers, Chief Edem Duke of Culture and Tourism Development, Senator Umar Idris of Transport as well as Minister of State for Defence, Olushola Obada, yesterday gave graphic details of their encounter with the ill-fated Dana Airline plane that crashed in Lagos last Sunday.

Narrating their experiences at a special session of the Federal Executive Council Meeting, the ministers said but for divine intervention, they would have been victims.

In his comment, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke said he was made to board another airline against his preferred choice of Dana when he got to the Abuja airport.

According to him: “A critical lesson to the living is that the future is not in our hands. Those who have the opportunity to serve this country must ensure love bond and know that every minute counts. I was lucky to be navigated around them and ushered into another flight which was not my preferred flight”.

Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke said: “I watched the take-off of the aircraft at the airport before I left Abuja. We saw the fire when we were landing and we asked ourselves what was causing the fire and we were very sad on landing to hear that the plane had crashed. We lost five of our trusted hands. It is a turbulent time for Nigeria. Our prayers must be deeper because deep must call to the deep. We need to say that 20 years old plane can fly, they do all over the world. But we must ensure that engines are replaced when due. Punitive measure when we found out the cause must be fully implemented”.

Transport Minister, Senator Umar Idris who said he flew the same plane from Lagos to Abuja the same day, said the plane crash is a wake up call. According to him: “There is destiny in everything. There is hand of God in everything. Every man will taste death. Any time any one dies, his time has come. I used that same aircraft same day from Lagos and came to Abuja by 2pm. In the conduct of investigation, certain issues will be addressed to avoid recurrence.”