By Kadiri Wahab

The recent decision by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to ground Dana Air due to a single isolated safety incident has left many in the aviation industry and beyond scratching their heads. 

While safety should always be the top priority, the minister’s swift action against Dana Air raises questions about double standards and potential ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, Max Air, another major player in the industry, has been involved in a string of safety incidents, yet the minister has failed to take similar action. This glaring disparity in treatment has sparked concerns about the minister’s partiality and selective commitment to ensuring the safety of all passengers in Nigeria. 

The grounding of Dana Air was met with widespread criticism, with many arguing that the decision was harsh and unjustified. The Minister’s directive also to the acting Director General to expressly ground Dana was roundly criticised by stakeholders who saw the action as a clear regulatory interference but what did the minster end up doing? 

He brazenly abused and labelled  the stakeholders who clearly knew far more than him and should be tutoring him “puff puff stakeholders and expert. 

The Dana Air goof by keyamo is one out of the many which has clearly shown he is a misfit for the job and tinubu should know better than keep a charge and bail ‘cashtivist’ overseeing a keenly internationally- monitored and highly regulated sector as aviation. 

Dana Air has consistently been praised for its efficiency and affordability, making it a favorite among budget-conscious travelers like me. 

While it is true that the airline’s fleet may not be the most modern, it’s incident of runway excursion alone does not justify the minister’s drastic action. 

Or would the minister say he didn’t hear about a similar runway incident that a foreign airline had a week after Dana’s or will the minister feign ignorance of the series of incident that virtually all domestic airlines like air peace, united, value jet, and even ibom had before the Dana incident? 

These are clear signs that the minister is not abreast of situations in the industry he is overseeing but still arrogantly goes on air to attack those anybody who tries to show him the right path or tries to criticize his misdirections. 

In contrast, Max Air’s safety record has been marred by multiple incidents, including engine failures, landing gear malfunctions, and other serious safety concerns. 

Despite these alarming incidents, the minister has remained silent, failing to take decisive action to address these safety concerns.

This double standard raises serious questions about the minister’s motivations and potential conflicts of interest. Is the minister’s decision to ground Dana Air a personal vendetta or a score to settle? 

Was the minister influenced by rival airlines or other external forces to take action against Dana Air? Is the minister afraid of max air and the perceived owners of Nigeria? Is keyamo scared of losing his job? Is keyamo no longer scared that max air might kill Nigerians but was earlier scared that Dana might?

This selective grandstanding on channels by keyamo and his quick attempt to attack stakeholders should be one out of the may reason for president tinubu to either fire or at best redeploy this “Italk talk” minister. 

The consequences of the minister’s inaction on Max Air’s safety concerns are far more severe. By allowing Max Air to continue operating despite its questionable safety record, the minister is putting the lives of countless passengers at risk. 

It is only a matter of time before a major tragedy occurs, and when it does, the minister’s failure to act will be remembered as a gross dereliction of duty.

The minister’s actions have also had a ripple effect on the aviation industry, with fares skyrocketing in the wake of Dana Air’s grounding. This has left many travellers stranded, forced to pay exorbitant prices for flights on other domestic airlines.

In conclusion, the minister’s double standard on safety concerns is a damning indictment of the aviation industry’s regulatory framework. 

The minister’s failure to act on Max Air’s safety concerns while grounding Dana Air for a single incident raises serious questions about partiality, conflicts of interest, and the minister’s commitment to safety.

It is imperative that the minister takes immediate action to address the safety concerns surrounding Max Air and ensures that all airlines operate under the same strict safety standards. Anything less would be a betrayal of the public’s trust and a reckless disregard for human life.

Kadiri Wahab

An aviation enthusiast, blogger writes from Abuja

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