Guardian

BEING from the creeks of Bayelsa and used to water, little Priye was delighted as he took his WAEC results to his uncle. The old man looked at the results and smiled. Had your parents been alive, they would have been proud of you. Now, I think you should apply to the new University in Otuoke to study medicine so you can become the first medical Doctor in the family. No, uncle, the young man said,  I do not want to be a Doctor, I want to join the Navy.

His uncle gave him a stern look and yelled: What, Navy? No, no. Please, think of something different but not the Navy. If you want to join the Army, Airforce, or whatever, but definitely not the Navy. I owe it to your parents who are no longer alive. You cannot join the Navy. I will give you one week, go and think carefully and come back to me. I will use my influence to speak to anyone to help you in any way, but stay away from the Navy.

The young man left his uncle and of course, one week later, he came back in the morning of the said date. He discovered that his uncle was still asleep. He woke up his uncle to tell him his final decision. Yes, his uncle said, tell me what you have finally decided. I still want to join the Navy, the young man said.  My dear son, he said to the young man calmly, I told you that I can never allow you to join the Navy. You see, your mother died while fishing and your father drowned in a well. I cannot allow you to make a career out of anything to do with water.

The young man, still confident said; But uncle, how did granddad and grandma die? Why do you ask? You know, we still thank God that each of them died peacefully in their sleep. What can be better than that, my son? In reply, the young man calmly said to his uncle; Since both your mum and dad died peacefully in their sleep, why do you still go to sleep? Are you too not afraid of dying in your sleep?

When air crashes happen, many ordinary citizens either swear not to fly again or they say they will rather fly another airline. The aviation experts continue to tell us that we should not be afraid because aeroplanes are the safest means of travel in the whole world. But for our beloved fellow citizens whose lives ended a year ago, that is the exception to the rule. Yet, life goes on. Shakespeare was right when he said, Death is a necessary end, and it will come when it will come. We can only continue to pray for God to give us the grace to be ready when it comes. In fleeing from Boko Haram, some have died on their way home. Death is the most loyal companion. Others forget you when you are no longer rich or powerful, death does not. It stands by you. Others forget you after a bad quarrel, death does not. Others abandon you after a divorce, death does not. Some abandon you in pain and sorrow, death is there, always faithful. Death is like a true Catholic marriage. Despite trials, it remains faithful.

Imagine this very day, one year ago. Most people woke up with hardly any premonition about what lay ahead. For those who planned to travel, getting ready and setting out was normal. They woke up, had breakfast, went to Church on that Sunday, thanked God, said the day’s prayers, and then went about their normal businesses for the day. Later on, bags packed, loved ones were kissed or hugged, amidst quick goodbyes with promises of dates and times of return or arrival.

As they set out to the airport, personal or taxi drivers gathered speed, passengers cursed the slow traffic and prayed to be able to catch their flights or prayed that the flights be delayed.  Finally boarding the ill-fated Dana flight, some phoned their loved ones to say thank God that they had made the flight. Then, some put calls through to Lagos to say that they were on their way. After a silent prayer, the plane took off. The pilot and the cabin crew made the usual announcements, reading out the usual safety instructions. The rest of course is now history.

We know that we cannot bring back the dead. No amount of tears, so called compensation, condolences, acrimony, litigation and so on can bring back the dead. Despite it all, this is a chance for us to be honest with ourselves as a nation and as a people. This is a chance for us to ask the hard questions about the worth of human life, about the relation between profit and welfare, about the quality of regulation and the honesty and patriotism of regulatory agencies. Indeed, the real question is, what is the worth of human life in our dear country? How much premium are we prepared to place on this precious gift of God called life? How much is a life worth?

So much has been said and more still will be said about these tragedies. This is not the place for us to enter into any insinuations, or assumptions. It is the duty and responsibility of the Aviation Ministry and Dana Airlines to show the world that it is doing all that is humanly possible to get to the truth of what happened. The truth will free everyone, Dana Airlines, the Aviation Ministry and its regulatory bodies. It will heal the deep injuries and bring healing to all. There is no alternative and as they say, truth has no senior brother.

Nigerians have earned every right to be cynical and they do not trust that public officers will put their interests and those of the nation first. Public officers must work hard to restore this confidence. The honest truth will restore confidence in our country, in the aviation industry, and in government and its capacity to protect us from the profiteers who flood every nook and cranny of our country where a penny can be made at the expense of the sacred lives of our citizens. From Oil Companies, Aviation practitioners, textile manufacturers and industrialists, importers, etc, the general feeling is that our country is fast becoming a dumping ground. Foreigners believe that in Nigeria, the rules can be bent and broken for a fee or a favour. Foreigners have come to believe that everyone has a price. This is condemnable and totally unacceptable. The safety week embarked upon by the Aviation Ministry is commendable as a means of restoring this much-needed confidence.

First, we need to pause and think about what is happening to human life in our country. This is perhaps one of the most difficult moments in our nation’s history.  Our country is going through a trial by ordeal, we are in the refiner’s fire, we are like Daniel in the lion’s den, as trouble encircles our land. Happily, we are making progress and by God’s grace, soon, we shall see clearly when the rains of pain are gone. I commend the President, the National Security agencies and everyone who is working so hard to end this ugly tragedy. We shall come out a stronger and united nation. The blood of the innocent will not be in vain.

The Federal Government must ensure that those regulatory agencies whose greed gets in the way of the enforcement of international standards and regulations are publicly punished.  The National Assembly must make the laws that will help drive efficiency and ensure that airlines conform to international safety standards.

Running these agencies must not be subjected to political cronyism and clientelism. Those who run our key institutions such the Aviation and other Ministries and Agencies that directly impact on human lives must have the professional, intellectual, moral capacity and the patriotic reflex to rise beyond the narrowness of selfishness which panders to the corrosive influence of corruption by powerful business interests. Professionals must be allowed to do their work unencumbered by the overbearing greed of political contractors who simply see their appointments as their own turn to eat. Their suffocating greed is retarding our progress.

I want to commend the Honourable Minister and her team in the Aviation Ministry for the new changes that we are witnessing in our airports now. The external renovations of the various airports across the country are a source of great pride for me as a citizen. It will inspire confidence in us as citizens and showcase our nation positively. We hope that the inside of the cup is equally getting thoroughly cleansed. For those of us without Private Jets, air travel still remains a serious burden and a heavy cross. Passengers require more protection and comfort than they are getting. After paying so much for a ticket, passengers do not get much quality service in terms of comfort within the airport premises and inside many aircrafts where air conditioning is a luxury. It is not uncommon to be told in the plane that water is finished, there is no sugar, or that a cup of coffee is an extra luxury!

What is more painful is the fate of passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. Airlines do not believe they owe passengers any favour and so you can wait for a flight for four five hours and worst case scenario, a flight can be cancelled at 7 or 8pm and all passengers are told is to come to the counter to collect their refunds.  To be told to find your way back into Abuja or Lagos where one has had to come from Keffi or Abeokuta is totally unacceptable. Those with the power of enforcement know the international regulations, but in Nigeria, there is always a conspiracy against the poor.

Finally, I commend the Aviation ministry for undertaking this project. People will continue to die in the air, on the ground, in their beds or their desks, walking or sitting. Death is inevitable but how society reacts is important for those who grieve. We pray that we do not have to erect any more cenotaphs anywhere again in Nigeria for many years to come. We must also appreciate and commend those gallant Nigerians who continue to put their own lives at risk in trying to save thousands of victims of accidents on our roads, air, water and other accident sights across the nation. Those men and women who rushed to the sight of the DANA flight at the risk of their own lives, deserve to be honoured and appreciated.

We see this all the time in places like Europe and America, how public tragedy has a way of bringing society together. Our security agencies, men and women who give their lives to protect the rest of us deserve to be appreciated and immortalized when they die or are injured. Their families must never be left alone. When this is done, it gives great succour to the family. We recall, the other plane crashes, such as Donier 228 Airforce plane, Harka airlines, Nigerian airways, ADC, EAS, Bellview, Sosoliso Airlines. As with the memorial of the Jewish holocaust in Jerusalem, we shall imbibe the immortal words: Earth cover not their blood. May their souls rest in perfect peace. May God console their families and may their blood offer us a safe and peaceful nation. Amen.

Being remarks at the Special Prayers in commemoration of the first anniversary of the victims of the DANA Air Crash on June 3, 2013 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja