Dana Air Crash: 11 Families Get Full Compensation

Eleven families of the victims of the June
3, 2012 Dana air crash in Iju-Ishaga area
of Lagos have received full compensation,
the airline management has said.

Tony Usidiamen, the airline's spokesman,
disclosed this on Monday in Lagos at a
news conference to commemorate one
year of the crash.
According to Mr. Usidiamen, the 11 families have received full compensation of
$100,000 (N15 million) each while 95 others
received an initial $30,000 (N4.5 million) each.

He said they all received the compensation as at May 25. A total of 153 passengers, including crew members, and six residents of the area died in the crash. Property worth millions of naira
were destroyed. Mr. Usidiamen, flanked by Sam
Ogbogoro, the Media Relations Officer of the
airline, and Obialor Mbanuzor, the Head of its
Commercial Services Unit, said compensation
would be paid to all victims provided they had
valid document to back up their claims.
He added that the families of 20 other victims
had submitted their letters of administration
from the Probate Registry of Lagos State High
Court. "The letters will be verified by the
airline's insurance firm, the Lyodds Insurance
Company of London, for payment.
"However, eight families did not submit any
claim in respect of their lost family members;
they may file their claims later," he said. He
expressed appreciations to Governor Babatunde
Fashola of Lagos State who waived the 10 per
cent that should have been paid to the state for
damages.
On those who lost properties to the crash, Mr.
Usidiamen said they had been paid the initial
$30,000 by Prestige Insurance. According to
him, the claims submitted by them have been
sent to estate valuers for evaluation. "Their
claims are being evaluated because the law did
not stipulate what should be paid to those who
lost their properties on ground," he said.
Mr. Usidiamen added that there were plans to
unveil a cenotaph at the site of the crash on June
3. According to him, other activities for the
commemoration include a Jumat service at the
Lagos State secretariat mosque on May 31 and a
mass at St Leo's Catholic Church on June 2.
"There will also be a memorial procession from
the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic
Terminal 2 to the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority Annex on June 3," he said. Mr.
Mbanuzor said 65 families of the victims had
gone to court over the claims, adding that
compensation would be paid to them after
judgment on the matter.