By Ayo Onikoyi & Moses Nosike
Even by Tuesday, the third day after the crash, the street where the aircraft crashed and its adjoining streets were still aMeccaof sort as hundreds of people visited the site. The focal point of attention is really Okunsanya Street where a duplex and a warehouse were levelled to the ground by the aircraft and  the  affected two-storey building  was demolished completely by evening of Tuesday but the other adjoining streets like Popoola, Olaniyi and Tolulope were not spared of the mammoth crowd which have made the area their Mecca  since Sunday when  the incident happened.

Quietness and peace have since departed the streets as residents of the area have to contend with people for space. For some people, the crowd means business as they come in droves to attend to the needs of people who gather at the crash sites. Food sellers, pure water hawkers and all manner of petty traders flood the areas to take advantage of the situation. Okada riders have a permanent park in the area to take people to various destinations from the crash site.

Right now we can’t ascertain who is alive and who is dead  — Lawal Olatunji

Mr. Lawal Olatunji, one of the residents ofNo. 3 Okunsanya Street, a house next to the duplex and warehouse where the plane crashed said they have not had peace since the incidence happened. Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, he and some neighbours in the house, Olakunle Olanipekun, Kehinde Adekunle, Richard Ajaguna and Pastor Adedini Adekunle recounted their experience. Excerpts:

Can you tell us your experience  and where you were at that point in time?

Yes, I was inside the  house, having a siesta when a heavy sound that shook the foundation of  the building woke me from sleep. Confounded and confused, I  rushed out just to see what was happening. When I came out in that shock, I  discovered it was a plane crash, so, I and others who live in this building started running for our dear lives. In the process of running, we met policemen rushing to the scene and we were asked to go ,that even if it explodes, it might not engulf the whole area. The incident took everybody in this environ by surprise. So, when we came back, we were stranded and could not enter anywhere. While we were trying to gather momentum, we saw some Okada riders who told us that they started following the aircraft from Oke-Aro and Lambe (in Ifo local government area of Ogun state)  when they discovered that the aircraft wanted to crash  in this compound because of this open space here (there is an open land about 2-3 acres of land beside the bungalow)  .

And this place belongs to one Mrs. Ojiaga. So what prevented it from crash-landing here was the coconut and mango trees adjacent this house where one of the wings of the aircraft hit the trees and fell  in front of that house ( No 4 Okunsanya Street) and that made it crash-land close to this house. The building beside me is a two storey building and a warehouse and the other bungalow is where one Pastor Daniel of the Winners Chapel lives.

“Since the incidence, what we have been seeing are different government agencies, the police were the first caller, then fire service came, later LASTMA, Road Safety and so many of them. Naval helicopter landed here on Sunday even yesterday (Monday) before the President came and addressed the pressmen the same Monday. That is how it happened.

The aircraft ran into the Pastor’s house who fortunately had gone to church with his family and as the plane crashed on the building, one of the remaining wings cut in between the two storey building which is joined to each other. There were people  there watching football on  television.

Can you give us an idea of how many people living in the two-storey building before the crash?

I cannot tell you precisely the number of people living in the house but I can tell you that there are three floors; the topmost floor, the first and the ground floor and each floor contains two flats of three-bedroom apartments. After the aircraft crash landed, damaging the buildings, five people were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment and three children whose parents died as a result of the crash had been taken away byLagosstate government . Right now we can’t ascertain who is alive and who is dead until after a while when they must have evacuated the wreckage of the crashed aircraft. It’s so because the environment is not settled, people are rushing here and there, you can even see security men around even as we are seating here, we’ve not settled down since Sunday it happened. We can’t leave this place to look for water or food. As I’m talking with you now, I have not taken my breakfast. We’ve not been able to move out of this place for security reasons, that is the situation now.

Was there any case of medical emergency such like shock and others?

Yes. Even before the emergency rescue operations began some individuals have initiated rescue operations and some people were taken to hospital, even me who is sitting here, I’m a hypertensive patient. As you are standing, I can’t even see you and with all the shock. I have not even submitted myself for medication. Before now, I have been receiving medical treatment.

What are you people expecting the government to do now for you?

What we expect government to do now is to meet the families of those that were trapped in that building, condole with their families, provide adequate compensation for the families of buildings destroyed even though we know that no amount  of money can bring them back, especially those three children who went out before the plane crash-landed and killed their parents, government has to take proper care of their future. Even those rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. I think that is the most important thing for now. They should also see how they can immortalise the victims of the aircraft. Moreover, those who suffered shocks and different kinds of pains, government should take care of that or mandate the owners of the aircraft to take care of them. The owners of the buildings damaged should be compensated. Even this one we are occupying, we are still afraid to go inside because we believe the structural integrity of the entire building has been  affected.

When the President came, did you pick one or two things he said concerning the crash?

Actually since this happened, I have been sitting down here. And I was sitting here when the President came and started addressing newsmen over there. I heard him said that government is doing something in the aviation sector so that such a thing would not occur in the future again. I expected the newsmen to ask him questions, but they didn’t ask him anything. He condoled with the family of the victims. He also said that government would work with his agencies to get things done properly.

What of Governor Fashola?

The governor addressed the community, condoled with the family of the victims. He also said that Lagosstate government will evacuate those who lost their buildings to the plane crash  having known that the structural integrity of these buildings are affected already. He took the three children who lost their parents in the building where the plane crashed.

I still can’t sleep because of the shock—Emmanuel Soyemi

For Mr Emmanuel Soyemi,a resident of No 4 Okunsanya Street, the house directly  opposite where the plane crashed it was an afternoon he would never forget. Having lost his wife two years ago he stays in the building with his five kids and a sister.

Emmanuel Soyemi and family

According to him, June 22nd two years ago was when he lost his wife and for this to occur some two weeks before the second year remembrance of his wife is something that has been too much for him to comprehend. His experience on that fateful Sunday was that of close shave with death as their building was the first to be hit by the wings of the aircraft, severing in half the coconut three in front of their flat and a mango three which was totally sawed off by the plane’s wings. He also recounted his ordeal. Excerpt:

How did it happen?

I thank God for how he saved me and my family. That Sunday, we came back from church service around 2 pm. About 4 pm when I was about going out, I called one of my children, David, to help me buy recharge cards so that I can call my friend I wanted to visit before going. In that process, surprisingly NEPA brought light. So I recalled David to come and make use of the power supply to press his and his younger ones school uniforms because we have not had light for sometime now. Then I decided to remove my clothes to put on another one because that was the one I wore to church. After tha,t I went outside to dust my car and all of a sudden, I started hearing noises as if it was rain rumbling, heavy rumbling.

Before I knew it, I felt a heavy heat and a loud sound descended on this coconut and mango trees. The next thing I saw was that one of the wings of a plane fell in front of this building, cutting off the coconut tree from up there and some parts of the mango tree branches. After that, the aircraft now swerved to the next compound adjacent and crash landed. I became confused and could not gather myself anymore. Even the phone in my hand was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, it was in that compound the aircraft crash landed that I sent David my son to buy me recharge cards before NEPA brought light when I recalled him. In that shock, I asked God, what is happening. I lost my late wife last two years June after few days of childbirth. Everybody was running up and down. My sister who has been assisting me to take care  of  the youngest child my late wife had before she died was afraid and said to me, let’s run away with the children but I said no, there is no need running up and down. Some of my neighbours were already gone.

As we were trying to gather ourselves over the first shock, not quite 10 minutes, the next thing we heard was another heavy explosion from where the aircraft crashed and the whole environment was engulfed in thick smoke. Close to the scene of the clash was a duplex  where a member of my church, Winners Chapel recently packed in. I was praying to God what about this man, he is a member of my church. Thank God, it was yesterday (Monday) I heard that the man and his family were in the church while the crash took place.

So when we couldn’t bear the smoke, we went and slept in one of our pastor’s house. Even when the President came to this place, I couldn’t go to listen because I could’t talk, the shock was much  that I had to take some medicine to get me in the right frame of mind. I have not been sleeping well since that incident until yesterday (Monday) when I was able to sleep.

Everybody affected is entitled to compensation—Aviation consultant

Mr. Gbenga Eguntola, a legal practitioner and an aviation consultant, was at the scene of the crash for a different reason. He was seen sympathizing with people affected and offering advices as to what they should do. He later spoke with Saturday Vanguard on options available to families of the crash victims and people affected to seek compensation for the tragedy visited upon them by the ill-fated Dana airplane. Excerpts:

 What is your business here sir?

My mission first and foremost is to get to the site,  commiserate  and condole with all the victims, as many as I could find on ground. And not only that,  to have an  opportunity to interact with a few of them willing to talk and to enlighten them as per their rights and to let them know that they should not be in a hurry to sign  papers or documents for anybody so that they do not end up compromising their rights.

So what has been your experience with people you have met so far?

The day is still young but what I discover is that the mood is so bad, so sad because they have suffered enormous losses. Loss  of life, loss of property and invaluable things they can never  hope to replace again. Some have had their certificates burnt in the huge inferno that arose from the crash. All I have done is to condole with them, sympathize with them and advise them of their rights. They should not be in a hurry to sign papers  with anybody, be it Dana Air or representatives of the  company or anybody.  Quite a number of them have been responsive and told us they appreciate what we are doing. Right now is the moment for  them to mourn.

Now lets look at the  passengers on board what options are available to them to hold the airline responsible for the  incidence.

There are conventions guiding this kind of situations. I remember  in November  1996 when we had the ADC Airline crash somewhere inLagosthe compensation at that time was 25,000 dollars for each of the passengers. That was under the Warsaw Convention but over time situations have evolved and things have changed that theWarsawconvention is  no longer the ruling convention because after the Warsaw Convention we have theMontrealconvention. And the Montreal Convention has made available a compensation of 100,000 dollars to each passenger.

But then there are people who say their loss is far beyond the benchmark and what the law says is that a victim should be compensated according to  the loss sustained. When you look at the 100,000 compensation package it is not just enough to compensate for the loss especially when you look at the class of people on board the flight. So, I will advise every victim to consult with aviation consultants before they make any move. There is  really no limit to compensation when you are able to prove your loss. For me, most of the victims should be able to get more than the 100,000 compensation package.

Now lets look at people on ground, not on the flight who have lost lives and properties.

Of course there are options available to them. The sufferance package is comprehensive enough to cover even this class of people. They fall under liability that ensued from the occurrence of the incidence. Now, at the crash site so many buildings are destroyed and people own these buildings, they spent years of their lives in putting them up and it cannot all go up in smoke   in one day just like that. There are options available to them. They are entitle to compensations equal to the value of the loss sustained. Not only the landlords but the tenants as well.

What the government should do to prevent future occurrence

I will say there is a need for total overhaul of the aviation sector. Due to negligence of airline operators the country has lost so much high-profile human capital. In a particular year, 2006 or so the country lost over 400 people to air mishaps. Government legislation has not helped matters. Most aircrafts flying our airspace are nothing but flying coffins. Take for an instance the claim of  a director who resigned from AirNigeria. The  man was so bitter that out of about 11 planes owned by AirNigeria, flying the domestic routes, only 5 are working and yet out of that 5 only one is good. He said the management is in the habit of forcing relevant experts to  certify the aircrafts as air worthy to  fly. Now we have the aviation minister and the House Committee on Aviation matters in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom said some two weeks ago they had to write Dana Airline that the aircrafts they are using are not good. Somebody was on television  yesterday, a Dana staff, that gave us insight into what happened. These crashes keep happening because the airlines compromise various standards. Most aircraft  flying our  domestic airspace are not just air-worthy.

What of people who suffer some forms of trauma as a result of the crash, particularly, people in the adjoining areas of the crash site.

Everybody that has been affected by the crash, whether psychologically or mentally are entitled to compensations. Compensations are not only for people who suffer physical injuries. First, they need to consult their lawyers, when I say lawyers I mean aviators. Though not everybody may be able to get this compensation but  if they are able to prove their loss certainly they are eligible for compensations

I just rented this house for N200,000- Yemisi Soetan

Mrs Yemisi Soetan has a different story to tell. She does not reside in the house (No 4 Okunsanya Street) opposite the crash site yet because she was supposed to moved into the  house that fateful Sunday after having secured the accommodation some weeks ago. In her words: “ My brothers, I really thank God and I don’t know what to say again. I just paid for this house and you can see that repairs are just going on before I can pack. But that Sunday I was to be here to see what the bricklayers had done and to pack in. Before you know it my spirit asked me to stay behind and I did. If the aircraft had fallen on this building, what would I have done.

On the aircraft that crashed, I felt so bad. Look at how Nigerians lost their lives just like that. How will some of their children and family members cope. It’s shocking, government should do something to stop plane crashes in this country. Government should not allow faulty aircrafts to fly, it is a big risk on the lives of Nigerians”. When she heard that the government may have have to relocate people in the area to Agbowa, she retorted “ what will happen to the money I paid to the landlord. How will I get my money back”