Abuja-bound Aero Contractors plane packs up before flight at Murtala Muhammed Airport

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An aircraft engine packed up shortly before take-off at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

The early morning Abuja-bound Aero Contractors plane was set for take-off at 6:45am when the flight was aborted because one of the engines had stopped working.

There was panic inside the aircraft whose door had been locked in readiness for take-off.

A woman shouted for the door to be opened for her to disembark.

A pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Olumide Adeleye, who was aboard the plane, relived the experience in Abuja yesterday.

He said: “We had already boarded the plane scheduled for 6:45am. It was filled to capacity, ready for take-off when the pilot announced that one of the engines had packed up. There was panic, but people also thanked God that the engine did not fail in the air.

“A woman was just shouting ‘please open this door before I break it!’. I was travelling with my wife and within me I was saying, ‘God it is not my portion and that of my wife to die’. I immediately remembered the Dana crash that happened, also on a Sunday. 

“The Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos, was thrown into confusion as some passengers were contemplating on refund of money. Even when another airline was ready to fly, passengers were insisting that the authority must properly check the plane, test-run it, before take-off.

“I booked the 6:45am flight so as to get early to church as the pastor of my parish in Abuja, to preach and preside over the thanksgiving service and dedicate a set of twins, which I did.

“I thank God for a successful journey back to Abuja. I was just imagining what people would have been telling my children about their father and mother.”

The airline said the action of the pilot was in order.

A spokesman of the airline, Mr. Simon Tumba yesterday said as a safety curious carrier, the airline withdrew the aircraft to safeguard the interest of the passengers and crew.

Tumba said such precautionary steps were necessary for the safety of the passengers and crew, which is part of the routine in the safety measures at the disposal of the airline.

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Zamfara to boost education with two percent deduction from contracts

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Zamfara State Government is to establish a law compelling all its contractors to give two per cent of their contract sum in order to boost the education sector.

Governor Abdulaziz Yari said this on Wednesday while receiving individual reports on education from all the emirate councils in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

He explained that already, he had sent a bill to the state house of assembly requesting the legislators to review the law on the deductions from one per cent to two per cent as mandatory tax deductions from state government contracts, which would be added to education development in the state.

The governor, who set up the emirates’ education committees three weeks ago, noted that the state government could not handle educational development in the state alone.

Yari said with contributions received from contracts and other sources, it would allow the state government service other sectors such as healthcare, road construction, improvement of social welfare and provision of good drinking water.

He said from the reports submitted, the state government was now saddled with the responsibility of educating a total of 548,000 primary school aged children.

“So, we will have to review this year’s budgetary allocation to the education sector to about N5 billion, including collections from the Universal Basic Education Commission, in order to meet the target,” he said.

Yari said that various projects were currently ongoing under the Ministry of Education as well as that of science and technology, such as the building of staff quarters, expansion of schools and provision of furniture and learning materials.

The governor, who also set up a nine-man committee headed by Prof. Abdullahi Shinkafi, urged the committee to compile a summary of all the emirates’ submissions within three days in order to allow the state government start execution.

He also warned contractors handling projects under the sector to speed up and finish the projects or face the consequences.

He gave the contractors the next 30 days within which to finish their projects or have the projects transferred to more competent contractors.

Yari said that the state government had paid up all its contractual obligations, adding that funds meant for the payment of on-going projects had been in the state government coffers for the last seven months.

He said “anyone who completes his work, will be paid immediately.”

NAN reports that the concern of the governor on the development of the education sector had led to the setting up of a high-powered committee in 2011 to assess the problems of primary education.

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Source : punchng[dot]com