Crashes: Bellview, Sosoliso, ADC get 2-month ultimatum on $32.1m compensation

THE Federal Government, yesterday, gave Bellview, Sosoliso and ADC Airlines a two-month ultimatum to pay mandatory compensation to victims of the crashes involving them.

Three hundred and twenty one persons died in the crashes involving the three airlines.

While Bellview has paid a sizeable chunk of the compensation in respect of each of the 117 passengers who died in the crash of Flight 210 to Abuja at Lisa Village in Ogun State on October 22, 2005, Sosoliso Airline has paid partial compensation of less than N200 million of the over N1.4 billion required for the 108 victims of the crash.

ADC Airline is yet to pay a kobo, following the disagreement between it and its insurers, Lloyds of London. 96 persons died in the October 29, 2006 crash in Abuja.

The management of Bellview Airlines had said those yet unpaid had family squabbles to settle to qualify to collect their compensation from its insurers who are ready to pay up.

Each passenger on board the ill-fated planes is, in accordance with the provisions of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Nigerian Civil Aviation laws, entitled to $100,000 compensation.

Some of the prominent Nigerians who died in the Bellview Boeing 737-200 plane crash at Lisa were the then Managing Director of Nigerian Railways Corporation, Alhaji Mohammed Waziri; former Managing Director of People’s Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Maria Sokenu; while the Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, lost as many as 52 of its students in the crash involving Sosoliso’s MD-83 plane flight 1145 at the Port Harcourt International Airport on December 10, 2005.

Also lost in the crash was renowned Pentecostal Pastor, Bimbo Odukoya, and some top Rivers State government officials.

Aboard the ADC Airlines Boeing 737-200 that crashed in Abuja on October 29, 2006 were the then Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Maccido; and his son, Senator Maccido; deputy governor of Sokoto State as well as Senator Yari Gandi, amongst others.

Yesterday’s ultimatum contained in a communique issued at the end of a one-day consultative meeting of stakeholders in the Aviation industry organised by the Senate Committee on Aviation, also asked the three airlines to resolve all outstanding issues with the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA).

“The Federal Ministry of Transportation (Air Transport) and NCAA in conjunction with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) should come up with a list of qualified Insurance companies that airline operators would be advised to deal with.

This is to forestall future delays in payment of claims if and when the need arises,” the communique stated.

It also directed the ministry to devise a new formula for Ticket Sales Charge distribution amongst the parastatal agencies in the Aviation industry to ensure fairness and equity.

“The meeting was dissatisfied with the application of the N19.5 billion Aviation Intervention Fund,” it said.

It ordered a meeting of officials from the presidency, the Ministries of Transportation, Finance, relevant banks and the Senate Committee to resolve all issues surrounding the source and application of the fund.

“The Bureau of Public Enterprises is to complete the privatisation of Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) within six months,” it added.

The meeting also directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to transfer the management of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) Fund to NCAA by effecting a change of signatories.