Senate to commence probe of Aviation sector on Tuesday

The Senate will resume its session on Tuesday after its sallah break to deliberate on several pending national issues, to include the ongoing crisis in the Aviation sector.

The Senate had called on the Aviation minister, Mrs. Stella Oduah, and other heads of agencies under the ministry to make themselves available before it in order to speak on the actual state of the aviation industry.

The Senates have resolved to embark on this investigation based on a motion raised by one Senator Hope Uzodima from Imo West Senatorial District, regarding a 23 year-old Propeller aeroplane on the fleet of the Associated Airlines that crashed three weeks ago in Lagos state.

Uzodima was of the opinion that the frequent plane crashes in the aviation industry had left different families in perpetual agony, hence the need to look into the cause, and to be clear about the true state of the aviation industry. He imagined why a plane could crash just few minutes after take-off if the aviation sector was working properly.

The lawmaker also noted that the incident was the seventh of such fatal crashes that had claimed the lives of prominent Nigerians between June 2, 2012 and October 3, 2013. He said such was “suggestive of a deep seated systemic problem that must be resolved to avert further occurrence.”

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session agreed to summon the aviation Minister and the Chief Executive Officers of all the agencies under her control to throw more light on the true state of the sector.

He said “The observation of lapses in the aviation industry expressed by the senators is not also an indictment of the senate committee on aviation.” He said the aim was to know the true state of the aviation sector and devise better ways forward.