As we continue to dry the last drops of tears in our eyes following the death of Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser Gen. Owoye Azazi and three others including the crew of a Nigerian Navy helicopter in a crash somewhere in the creeks in Bayelsa State penultimate Saturday, let us begin to ponder over how our rulers (as against leaders) abuse the resources and facilities of State put at their disposal.
Too often, we’ve seen and heard of cases of top public officers, especially politicians, top level civil servants and military officers extending the privileges of their office to their spouses, children, relations and friends and even aides to the detriment and at the expense of the State.
This malaise did not begin with this present crop of rulers but dates back to as long as one could remember and it’s about time we begin to take stock of the toll this abuse of office is taking on our resources and collective security and decide on what to do to either encourage or stop it.
The Navy helicopter that crashed was for the umpteenth time conveying guests that attended the burial ceremony that weekend in Bayelsa State of the father of an aide to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Oronto Douglas to Port Harcourt airport in nearby Rivers State, for their return flight back to base. While the earlier batches made it safely to the airport in the same ‘copter Yakowa, Azazi and the others weren’t lucky, they all perished; a big loss not only to their respective families but also the whole nation and particularly to the military.
There is no debating the fact that Oronto Douglas by virtue of the position he holds in Jonathan’s government is not entitled to assume the privileges he did by flying guests that came to commiserate with him on his father’s death and attend the burial (a private affair) in a military aircraft. We’ll come to that later, let’s look at similar instances in the past.
Recall the Abacha years when one of his sons, Ibrahim died in one of two HS 125 presidential jets then in the presidential fleet? Ibrahim, his girl friend, a couple of friends and I am sure some secret service agents were reportedly celebrating Ibrahim’s birthday in the air, in the presidential jet when it crashed somewhere around Kano. While the nation grieved and sympathized with the Abachas and the other bereaved families, the fact that could not be raised then, for obvious reasons, was that Ibrahim Abacha and his friends had no business flying that aircraft let alone partying inside it in the air.
That aircraft that cost Nigerian tax payers millions of dollars to acquire and meant to serve the interest of State was deployed on a frivolous assignment that had nothing to do with the interest of Nigeria, except as we often do here, we equate the personal interests of our leaders to that of the country. With all the monies his father had acquired over the years (the source notwithstanding) and his own vast business empire, Ibrahim could have hired a private jet for his birthday celebration and spared the nation the loss of millions of dollars in the crashed presidential jet. This is not without sympathy for the lives lost. I am sure the HS 125 series had been phased out of the presidential fleet and replaced with newer aircraft types, even when it still remains one of the best executive jets flying around the globe.
In Nigeria once an aircraft crashes and lives are lost, that aircraft type is no longer good and must be banned from our air space even if it is in service in other countries with better aviation facilities as well as better understanding of aircraft and aviation in general. And this is a nation that cannot even manufacture the tiniest and simplest part of an aircraft.
Recall the Nigeria Airways F27 crash at Emene in Enugu in 1983 killing, I think all on board, including a Senator and almost his entire family? In hysteria, Nigeria sold off the entire Fokker fleet in Nigeria Airways and I think Libya was a beneficiary. President Ibrahim Babangida was reportedly flown in one of those aircraft during a State visit to Libya years later. Meanwhile the Fokker series on which Nigeria Airways had built expertise up to D-check level was replaced by a more modern aircraft, Airbus A310-200 series on which we had none or few Nigerian engineers rated. No surprise then the A310s didn’t last for long in the airline’s fleet. Nigeria Airways, of course you know is dead, liquidated by Obasanjo and his Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe.
The same fate befell the BAC 1-11 series in our commercial aviation fleet here and since that aircraft type was phased out of our air space following a fatal crash, commercial aviation in Nigeria has been flying from one crisis into another. Sorry for the digression and back to the issue at hand; abuse of office by our rulers.
I don’t know how you would classify this? I recall that the Nigerian Navy used to have a frigate named NNS Aradu as the nation’s flagship. I don’t know what has happened to Aradu now. It was reputed to be one of the best battleships of its era and used to carry three British made Lynx Helicopters. As a Defence Correspondent then, I, like my other colleagues was very proud of this and we were looking forward to not too distant a future when our Navy will acquire its own fleet of submarines. We are still waiting.
But unfortunately before our eyes (pardon the cliche) Aradu started deteriorating and one after the other the helicopters were crashing, not during combat missions or military exercises, mind you, but during frivolous assignments. I remember one crashed in Calabar when Babangida was there on a state visit. Pray why did we have to deploy this chopper there just because the president was visiting? Except we are told why, that deployment was uncalled for and a misuse or abuse of office, being the Commander-In-Chief notwithstanding. Of course, another millions of dollars down the drain.
There are instances as this in the past and not limited to aviation alone. Quite often we hear or even witness wives of State governors and even the President’s wife and their children driving around in long convoys of official vehicles as if they are officials of State. In the process some have been involved in accidents that even claimed the lives of innocent people. These are people that before their husbands or fathers got elected or appointed into public office could hardly afford more than a car let alone a fleet of luxury vehicles.
Before Oronto Douglas became an aide to President Jonathan could he afford to fly his friends or even think of flying them to attend a private ceremony he was holding? If he was not in office would he do that even if he has all the millions in this world? Who is Oronto Douglas to be flying his guests in military aircraft? What is this country turning into? One thinks State resources and facilities are meant to be deployed to State use/events. Is Oronto Douglas now part of the State or his father’s burial a State event?
I am not trying to make a scapegoat out of our friend Oronto Douglas, don’t forget he was in the trenches with others during the fight for this democracy, I am only trying to draw attention to the rot going on in high places under Jonathan’s watch, which though didn’t start with him, but must not be allowed to continue.
In probing the cause of the Navy helicopter crash, the political fall out of the unfortunate incident should also be looked into, may be by a judicial commission of enquiry which should among other things look at the entire gamut of how our rulers deploy State resources to check not only abuse of office, but also of power. The technical report of the investigation carried out should also be made public and not treated as secret because a military aircraft was involved; aviation is universal. May be its about time we are also told of what caused the presidential jet crash involving Ibrahim Abacha earlier mentioned and who authorized him to fly and party in ‘our aircraft’. Enough of these cover ups. Did I hear you mention the FOI Act?
