Dana Plane Crash: 30% Of Claims Paid To Families – FG

The Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, on
Thursday said that legal tussle and lack of proper
documentation from the families of the Dana
plane crash victims delayed the payment of
compensation.
Ms. Oduah spoke at the 2013 Aviation Safety
Week in Abuja.
She said there was speedy process to ensure that
all the families of the victim of the June 3, 2013
crash got their claims. She said that the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, was working
with the airline on the compensation, adding
that some families had been paid.
The minister said that the airline had paid more
than 30 per cent of the claims. She said that the
ministry and other stakeholders would not rest
until every claim was verified and all families
fully compensated in accordance with the law
and existing regulations.
Ms. Oduah said stakeholders had been working
round the clock to ensure the timely payment of
the claims to the families. She said Lagos State
granted waivers on the mandatory requirements
for the processing of claims to lighten the
burden of bereaved family members.
The Dana air mishap of June 3, 2012, claimed
the lives of 153 people on board the aircraft as
well as about 10 victims on the ground.
Ms. Oduah said that the Accident Investigation
and Prevention Bureau, AIPB, would soon
release the final report of the cause of the crash.
She said that the Federal Government would
erect a memorial cenotaph at the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to
commemorate the first anniversary of the
incident.
Ms. Oduah said the ministry had implemented
the recommendations by the Technical and
Administrative Review Panel on Domestic
Airlines, TARPDA.
TARPDA was set up by President Goodluck
Jonathan to investigate the cause of the plane
crash and advised the government on ways to
curb future occurrence.
The Special Adviser to the President on Aviation
Reform, Ann Ene-Ita, said safety is paramount
to the industry. She said that the government
would not relent on ensuring that aviation
achieved safety in Nigeria.
All the heads of agencies under the ministry also
promised to keep working on the safety in the
industry.
They include Anthony Anuforom of the Nigerian
Meteorological Agency, NIMET; Acting Director-
General, NCAA, Joyce Nkemakolam and the
Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace
Management Agency, NAMA, Nnamani Udoh.