Embarrassing Confusion: Authorities Fail To Provide Accurate Figures On Casualties In Lagos Plane Crash

An embarrassing confusion followed a tragic crash
of a small plane carrying 27 people and the corpse
of the former Ondo state governor, Olusegun
Agagu, on Thursday, Octobers 3, as Nigerian
aviation and emergency authorities could not
provide an accurate number of people perished in
the crash.
Getting the precise number of passengers, crew,
survivors and fatalities, as well as their names, was
impossible for most of Thursday as officials provide
inconsistent information to journalists.The plane with
20 passengers and seven crew was heading to Akure for
burial of Agagu. More than ten people reported to be
killed in the crash, while the casket with the ex-
governor's corpse 'landed' safely.
Early reports said there were 20 people on board, 15
whom perished and five survived.
The confusion was only beginning to take a more
embarrassing shape…
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) gave the
first official confirmation of numbers at a press
conference, saying only four people survived, while 16
people died. However, just before the briefing ended at
about 4 pm, the AIB announced that the figure had
risen to six.
It seems that such disparities could be understandable,
given the volatility of the medical condition of those
unfortunately involved in the accident. However, the
confusion was only beginning to take a more
embarrassing shape.
In hours, aviation minister, Stella Oduah, issued a
statement she personally signed, reporting 14 casualties
and meaning six people survived since at least all the
sources agreed 20 people travelled on the plane.
While the minister's numbers circulated, news
agency Agence France-Presse, reported 13 deaths – the
number that was immediately confirmed by the
minister's spokesperson, Joe Obi, immediately.
About the same time Reuters reported 16 deaths,
quoting Usman Muktar,Commissioner of the Accident
Investigation and Prevention Bureau.
However, when contacted by Premium Times later on
Thursday evening, Muktar updated that figure to 12.
Lagos State Management Agency reported yet
another figure: Oke Osayintolu, General Manager, said
11 people died and four were hospitalized.
Key websites are sleeping
24 hours after the tragic crash, here are the activities on
the four websites that should have come handy in
managing information about a plane crash in the 21st
century:
The Ministry of Aviation's
website, www.aviation.gov.ng, is dysfunctional.
At the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority's (NCAA's)
website http://www.ncaa.gov.ng, the latest news
previews President Jonathan laying the foundation for
new International Terminal at Enugu Airport published
May 18, 2013.
On the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria's
(FAAN's) website at www.faannigeria.org, latest news
is on the visit of House of Representatives aviation
committee to the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos, published in March. And the latest
press release is titled "Edo State Government
unlawfully shuts down Benin Airport" published in
July.
On the Accident Investigation Bureau's website,
http://www.aib.gov.ng/, the newest information, is on
the Interim Statement on DANA Air 0992.