Govt withdraws Dana Air operating licence
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
*Senate recommends Demuren’s sack
Lawani Mikairu &
Daniel Eteghe
05 June 2012, Sweetcrude, Abuja - Federal Government yesterday withdrew the operating license of Dana Air due to operational reasons.
This is coming on the heels of the ill-fated plane crash that the airline had with one of its aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 which crashed into a two storey building at Iju-Shaga area of Lagos on Sunday killing all 153 passengers onboard.
The FG said the airline licence has been suspended indefinitely for it’s negligence that resulted in the death
of the passengers it was carrying on the MC Donnell Douglas MD plane from Abuja to Lagos.
Confirming the ban of the airline from operations, special Adviser to
the Aviation Minister on Media, Mr. Joe Obi said the airline has been “suspended for safety operational reasons”
Meanwhile indications
emerged that the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Dr Olusegun Harold Demuren has been asked to step aside by the senate.
The recommendation came following preliminary deliberation on the floor of the senate in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The Senate committee chairman on aviation, Hope Uzodinma while on a visit to the site of the incident on Monday in company of the president Goodluck Jonathan said “we have come, we have seen, we condole the government and people of Nigeria for this strong tragedy that has happened and we are sure that we must also learn lessons from this incident.”
Uzodinma told the president that “The government will be supported by the parliament, we are going to look into the immediate and the remote causes of this incident and see how best to
strengthened the aviation sector in Nigeria and ensure that there will be no repeat occurrences. I want to implore all of us to take heart and continue to pray to Almighty God who is the author of everything in life, I am sure that we will get through this.”
