The technical audit panel set up by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, in the aftermath of the Dana Air plane crash has been described as illegal and an aberration of standard procedure.

This is the view of members of the Aviation Round Table (ART), a non-governmental body, at a press briefing last week.

Speaking on behalf of the body, its National President, Captain Dele Ore, who spoke on sundry issues surrounding the crash of Dana plane in Lagos on June 3, 2012, specifically stated that the setting up of another administrative panel to probe another aspect of the Dana aircraft accident was an aberration and illegality.

The body said that the responsibility to investigate aircraft accident did not rest with the Ministerial panel nor the National Assembly joint committee on aviation but the statutorily empowered Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau(AIB).

Captain Ore explained further that the power of the House and the Senate to conduct investigations was elaborated under Section 88 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999.

According to Ore; “The powers conferred on the National Assembly under the Constitution are exercisable only for the purpose of making laws with respect to any matter within its legislative competence and correct any defect(s) in existing laws and expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement or administration of funds
appropriated by it.” 

In the light of this, Ore said:’’The House and the Senate Joint Committee on Aviation have power to initiate amendment to the Civil Aviation Act 2006, probe disbursement and use of Intervention Fund.”

On the alleged non-release of the Bellview plane crash accident report, the President of ART declared:’’The truth of the matter is that the Bellview accident investigation was not altered as expressed in some quarters. The investigation was conducted by a team of foreign and Nigerian aviation experts. One of the international aviation experts that were with us during this investigation and the writing of the report is Mr Dennis Jones who is presently in Nigeria to assist in the investigation of the Dana plane crash.

‘’ The Bellview accident investigation report has since been completed and submitted to the Presidency in line with the Act which established AIB in 2006. The Presidency would be in a good position to explain to Nigerians why this report and others that have since been submitted to the Presidency have not been released to the public.’’