Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Afrijet Airlines has impressed on the federal government, the need for caution over calls by the National Assembly to carry out audit of Dana Airlines.
Tukur who addressed a news conference at the weekend in Lagos, said, the need for restrain becomes necessary in view of the fact the call for audit has clear political undertones.
According to him, “Airline business all over the world and its regulation are all the same and never have we heard Law makers anywhere calls for an audit of an airline even on the events of the worst crash like the Malaysian air disaster that happened four years ago. As an industry stakeholder, my concern is that we should not at this time create unnecessary panic for ourselves more so now the economy is gradually picking up, coupled with the fact that the upcoming Airport Council International (ACI), conference billed for next month in Nigeria is around the corner.”
Pressed further, he said, “When you single one particular airline for audit, especially when such call is not coming from the professionals, you create fear on the minds of the public especially the airline passengers. Incidence and accidents are associated with aviation business which of course nobody prays for, but when it occurs, the relevant agencies step in to forestall a re-occurrence. But when you undermine the responsibilities of these agencies of government and go ahead to give directives without proper consultations, the result of such order is counterproductive. The only way to avoid such situation is to allow the relevant government agency, saddled with this responsibility to do its job, that way; panic will not be created in the system as we have it today.”
Audit of an airline, the former scribe of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) maintained, “Is to determine its serviceability is solely the work of the regulatory authority, which the NCAA in our own clime represents. And again, the call for audit should apply to all airlines and not only Dana.”