I don't know whether I am the only one that feels very unhappy about this plane crash. I am not just unhappy, I am mad vexed that things do not work in our country---that some of us do not have "People" and "rendering service" and "patriotism" in their heart while they work in their various governmental offices.

[size=16pt]How can our brothers and sisters fell from the sky in the belly of a "pregnant-death-tomb" of a plane and the shortage of water, fire retardants affected their rescue effort? [/size]
Okay, the plane exploded and we couldn't help it but do we have to watch and lament that there's no water while these bodies languished in fire? When I heard it in the news and came online to get more info, I heard someone in the scene of the crash lamenting that only two fire trucks were there at the time and that they came an hour late. I still thanked God that we managed to have two working fire trucks in the city knowing that the way things are with us many trucks on fire stations are not in working conditions. I commented then asking whether they are dousing the fire and hoping that we don't run out of water and guess what? We did! Clap for yourself Nigeria!! Other countries are mocking us over the inept handling of this crash, should we continue to be laughing stocks over corruption, nonchalance and their brothers?

How can a big country like ours that have made uncountable dollars from oil not afford to provide water for its people when we export oil like water to other countries? Ordinary water is expensive and almost unaffordable in Nigeria for the poor ones who are not rich enough to give themselves borehole and tanks and such. How did we feel on watching these our dead loved ones burn some because of shortage of water, when we could have ameliorated the situation and their loved ones will at least be able to recognise their dead frames? How did we allow inefficiency rule us to a point that the lives of people are being toyed with in the air plane money-making business? Air planes that are not air-worthy keep killing people in our lands and we all keep watching and sending condolences, thanking God that we were spared. Disorganisations has become the order of the day, the NCAA should get off their butts (now I'm cursing, have you seen me curse before because I don't?) and inspect all those death traps they call planes before any can ever fly on our soil again (that is for those that are still interested in flying in Nigeria because I won't until we all get things working in our country). People swag about holding their shoulders that they are holding good governmental positions but they go to work everyday and do nothing except plan on how to get all the money Nigeria has got. A country that foreigners earn millions and trillions of dollars on its shores and oil wells and it can't provide basic amenities to the people. [size=14pt]Can we all quickly and quickly get this our country working? I am tired of all these gross disorganisations and palpable stinking-corruption![/size]

We all mourn and cry and cover our heads in shame over all these, acting up nicy nicy and sending condolences to the bereaved families forgetting that these victims have paid the price for our nonchalant and unpatriotic attitudes. [size=14pt]Let us not forget to engrave it on the pages of history that we failed the victims of this Dana air Crash while we dig their graves. Let us not forget![/size] I am tired of a Nigeria where nothing works! Mtscheeeeew, excuse me!

Ivynwa, I don't think 'we' failed them. You know the terrain this thing happened is one that is difficult to penetrate easily. Besides, the residents couldn't have rendered help quickly enough to the victims for fear of being engulfed in the explosion/fire. As a fatalist, I can't blame this too much on anyone other than on fate itself.

Accidents happen even in the most advanced countries, and very often, all it takes for anyone to die a tragic death is to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been you or me or any one at all. I don't feel inclined to blame anyone for the tragedy of the Dana aircraft (except perhaps the management of Dana, for not being thorough enough with the plane maintenance). I know it sounds a bit difficult to take, but I guess we might just see this as something that was meant to happen. No matter the lessons we learn from this or the precuations we take, we may reduce the frequency or regularity of such incidents, but we can never stop them completely. Plane crashes will certainly occur again in the future; we can only pray we - or those that are dear to us - are not at the wrong place at the wrong time. Ifenine di Chineke na aka.

@Ivnywa: You made some brilliant submissions but beyond that, one key problem that has continued to plague us as a people is our mediocre and 'e no concern me' attitude. We are not addressing the issue of first responders in an emergency in this country, that should be the local government. Unfortunately, our LG's exist only in names because contrary to popular sentiments LASEMA got there in good time considering the terrain. As Pro1 said Everything is in God's hand but as a people we need to rise above our mediocre attitudes.

pro01: Ivynwa, I don't think 'we' failed them. You know the terrain this thing happened is one that is difficult to penetrate easily. Besides, the residents couldn't have rendered help quickly enough to the victims for fear of being engulfed in the explosion/fire. As a fatalist, I can't blame this too much on anyone other than on fate itself.

Accidents happen even in the most advanced countries, and very often, all it takes for anyone to die a tragic death is to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have been you or me or any one at all. I don't feel inclined to blame anyone for the tragedy of the Dana aircraft (except perhaps the management of Dana, for not being thorough enough with the plane maintenance). I know it sounds a bit difficult to take, but I guess we might just see this as something that was meant to happen. No matter the lessons we learn from this or the precuations we take, we may reduce the frequency or regularity of such incidents, but we can never stop them completely. Plane crashes will certainly occur again in the future; we can only pray we - or those that are dear to us - are not at the wrong place at the wrong time. Ifenine di Chineke na aka.

How can you say that we did not fail them brother when we the livings ones can't get any feeling of sense of belonging from the country of our birth. We failed them and we are still failing ourselves when the poor masses can't get the basic amenities of life when we all know how many billions of dollars some past rulers have stashed away in other countries of the world for their families and children's children. I would have sat down here to keep pouring out my dissatisfaction over our country but I have to go to work. I just ran into the post below that seems to have the same things in mind as I do. One thing I believe like the poster below does too is that it's high time we arose and make this country work, it frustrates some of us and we run to other countries----come on it's high time we started working. We have the resources to make things work, it is not beyond us to build a good number of fire stations and purchase fire quenching facilities. Out of all persons in office----it's only that Governor Fashola (and some handful of others) that I am seeing doing good work and his work even got spoilt a bit because this happened in his state and the people working under him seem to be sleeping.

Are you telling me that if we have the necessary/basic amenities like good running water, well-stocked/equipped fire stations and that if somebody in the office concerned did not run up and about on that sunday to ensure water provision that the rescue effort will not have been better? We have tolerated "having nothing" for too long!

dr stone: I am proud of this Guy, Adeniji Aliyu and the beautiful way in which he narrated the newstory. Certain important facts come glaring from his piece of the account of the events of Sunday's Dana crash.1. Nigerian Populace especially lagosians are highly literate unlike what obtains say 30 years ago.2. The GSM revolution has eased communication greatly.3. Nigerians really love their country and each other by the level of response to emergency situations(May be not so much of that up in the BOKO States) 4. That our transport sector is really in a mess. It took the fire Services guys 40 minutes to make it to the Venue after being informed. Now Apart from the Air Disaster, [b]our road networks are not only poorly built, but poorly managed. In Lagos for instance, Most Shop owners extend their shops right to the main road, Buses and cars could park even on the middle of the road thereby restricting the access space for other vehicles to maneuver and slow down other traffic. [/b]In lagos there seems to have been no plan for bustops, cause most of the bus stops are an afterthought of corrective policies. In Lagos traffic laws are flouted at will and no consideration is given to emergency vehicles like ambulances, fire services because people abuse the privilege associated with deferring to them on the road. I remember some years back after Gov Marwa's convoy was Bombed some where in Lagos, other commuters slowed down their trail of some of these official vehicles when weaving their way through dense traffic. Seems to me, that only catastrophic disasters of these kind can change an average black man's mentality and cause him to reconsider his values. If Dana crash has not happened , we may never seek to better our aviation industry by asking questions. If the BOKO guys are not striking with fierce terror, we never review our security procedures. Seems to me albeit crazy that some of the negatives happenings around us are a way nature tries to jolt us to awake and do the Proper thing "Collectively". Would there have to be an earth tremor, or a tsunami or a torrential down pour that wipes out an entire part of lagos to help us know the important and insist on sticking to proper planning of cities. All the open spaces reserved in the urban master-plan has been sold out or built upon. Must we even build every where? we seem to be ignorant that available land space is a great resource for other activities. I doubt if all the newly built up areas of lagos with high density populations were actually planned(Apart from the LSPDC Estates, GRA's, IKOYI's, Festac town, Satellite town etc). I mean places like Ketu, Egbeda, Iyana Ipaja, Alagbado, Ojokoro, Meiran,Alakuko,Ajegunle,Orile,Ajangbadi etc. Should there be a disaster in some of these places millions would die cheaply before any rescue effort can reach them or they can access the rescue teams.

Yes you are right Ivynwa, we failed them. Nigeria should encourage whistleblowers in all walks of life, so that tragedies like these will be minimised.

livapul86: @Ivnywa: You made some brilliant submissions but beyond that, one key problem that has continued to plague us as a people is our mediocre and 'e no concern me' attitude. We are not addressing the issue of first responders in an emergency in this country, that should be the local government. Unfortunately, our LG's exist only in names because contrary to popular sentiments LASEMA got there in good time considering the terrain. As Pro1 said Everything is in God's hand but[b] as a people we need to rise above our mediocre attitudes[/b].

The bolded is part of the change that we are talking about and this massive loss of lives in the Dana Crash is enough catalyst for us to get started lest we go back to our slumber and keep enjoying our sleeps until another fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters of some other people get sacrificed on this altar of nonchalance. It still hurts that one of my favourite pastors, a great woman and one of the greatest motivational speakers Nigeria has ever had Pastor Bimbo Odukoya got wasted this way too. Enough is enough people.

We failed them. First thing first, the crashed plane by law was not supposed to be flown by Dana based on age. Isn't there a maximum age of 20 years for commercial planes.
If this law was enforced, this tragedy could have been averted. No arrests has been made based on this.
Why have laws we don't enforce.

samm: We failed them. First thing first, the crashed plane by law was not supposed to be flown by Dana based on age. Isn't there a maximum age of 20 years for commercial planes.
If this law was enforced, this tragedy could have been averted. No arrests has been made based on this.
Why have laws we don't enforce.

All planes flying the air route of our country needs to be inspected thoroughly , if the aviation body do not have capable hands they can even employ the service of foreign and well trained (well trained because our mediocrity did not allow us train ourselves properly and bribery and corruption has gotten our eyes and conscience too blurred to make judgement on this) Aeronautical Engineers etc who can inspect and condemn the air planes that deserve to be condemned. We mustn't allow this disgraceful thing to keep happening in this country, people get their money taken from them----packed into a death trap of a flying machine and poured out from the sky. Who deserves to die like that? Nobody!

The days have started rolling by, give us all 2 weeks, a month, two months and it is all forgotten. Is it that we Nigerians do not value our lives and freedom or that we don't care enough to speak out for this to stop?