Between Plane Graveyards and Recycling: DANA air

For the sake of "Country and Commons", I truly hope the grounded DANA planes be consigned to a plane graveyard. Please pardon me for rehashing a subject that most of us would rather not remember as we continue to look to a Higher Power for healing from our feelings of loss and grief following the tragic event of 3rd of June 2012. Be that as it may, I can't help revisiting the fatal incident of that black Sunday , specially after what 'my ears were privy to' earlier today.


It all started with the welcome announcement by Chris Najomo, the Arik Flight Captain on the Lagos bound flight from PH this morning. I guess he sensed the palpable tension in the cabin owing to how nervous most of us felt at the prospect of flying in such weather (cloudy and threatening rain) . Trying to put us at ease he regaled us with some little anecdote and rounded up by telling us his alias "Jolly Papa"; half way through the journey you could hear the sighs of relief when he announced that we had left the cloudy skies behind and had the prospect of clear weather for the remainder of the journey. 


I remember nodding of and the next thing I knew we had landed and were taxiing towards the domestic terminal. From the corner of my ear (yes! you heard me right, not the corner of my eye this time),I caught a conversation between the two chaps seating in the row behind me.   Honestly, I wish I could have laughed off what I overhead, but I rather spent precious time pondering on the thought provoking comments that were as interesting as it was eerie. This part of the conversation occured just as we passed a couple of DANA planes that were obviously the grounded fleet following the FG's suspension of their license. Hear them:

1st Guy; "See waste, so na so all these planes go just waste, I wonder wetin go happen to them, maybe them go just dey here rotten like how dem Kabo and Okada been rotten finish for here"

2nd Guy "Rotten wetin, abegie like say you no sabi naija again, that one na before o..I bet you these planes go soon quietly disappear from here, them go carry them go abroad repair and respray then change name, new company, Aviation go give them fresh license then dem go begin dey fly again" and then they both burst out laughing....

Kai, I was stunned and sad all at once, because believe it or not, I wasn't shocked that they thought like that or could could have imagined such a morbid scenario; I was sad that they had captured for me in that brief moment the major angst I have against most things" Nigeria". We have profaned the positive intent of the art of "RECYCLING". The art of recycling is all about "waste to wealth" no doubt, but we have become adept at creating more garbage out of garbage..because by our inaction we have accepted that our land become a garbage receptacle; mere refuse dump for capitalists looking to make a quick buck, no less Kora and Indians for that matter. From Drugs to electronics, if you can name it, trust that we accept it. Yet we say we have an agency that accredits people with SON Compliance and ISO gbogbo timbo.

It is so painful that most of these things will not pass muster in the home countries of these "conglomerates", yet because they glitter we accept them.

Following what I overheard and the ensuing thoughts that threatened to evoke the bout of depression I experienced following the sad event of that black Sunday afternoon all I could do was direct my feelings of bitterness towards the DANA management, because now with hindsight,  I understand all the need for the glam and glitz; from the flight crew to the in-flight menu; I guess all that was to hide a deeper flaw that was the cranky state of their planes. GLITTER LACKING THE SUBSTANCE

I remember as a child following the Fokker27 Nigeria Airways plane crash in Emene Enugu in the 80's; a bittersweet event for one of our family friends whose daughter was one of the few survivors (her strength and her family's courage is gist for another day); The Government promptly withdrew all F27 from the NA fleet, I wonder if that was a measure to curb recycling back then, but whatever be the case, this young men's words struck a chord with me.

We say we have SERVICOM, but the big question is: WHO REGULATES THE REGULATORY BOSS?.

I can only hope that we begin to value lives more than we do the “CASH WE GET FOR TRASH”

My POV as always, but in the meantime, let's all

Stay Rooted

OSA