African press review 8 June 2012

We take our cue from Nigeria where relatives of 160 passengers killed in the crash of Dana Flight 0992 are flooding to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to give samples for DNA tests.

The Punch reports that 153 bodies already recovered from the crash site, in Iju-Ishaga were burnt beyond recognition. The chief medical director of the medical facility told the newspaper the testing on all the bodies would take at least four to six weeks. This is bound to exacerbate the worries of the victims’ family members who had been eager to bury their dead, according to the newspaper.

ThisDay quotes Nigeria’s aviation minister Stella Oduah saying the captain of the Boeing aircraft reported dual engine failure shortly before the crash. Oduah told a press conference in Abuja that the Flight Data Recorder was flown to the United States on Thursday for decoding.

President Goodluck Jonathan has threatened “severe sanctions” against those found culpable in the mishap, according to ThisDay. The federal government has set up panels to review within six weeks the safety of all airlines in the country.

The Nation reported this Friday morning the move has caused panic in Abuja Thursday over the age of aircraft used by domestic airlines as would-be passengers were not enthusiastic to fly.

The Nigerian Tribune claims Dana has denied continuing allegations that the crash plane was faulty. The paper says the company could go underground as it has been losing 50 million Naira everyday after grounding all flights in the wake of the disaster.

The Guardian reports aviation stakeholders in Nigeria have refused to cooperate with a review of all domestic airline operations and the fitness of their aircraft ordered by the federal government.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria  told the Guardian that instead of attempting to make the airlines the scapegoat, the government must accept the blame for the rot because the situation was a product of an inconsistency in aviation policies.

There is no sign yet that the pain is easing as families and whole communities grieve over their losses, six days after the tragedy. The husband of a Nigerian woman who died in the crash has filed a lawsuit in the US against Boeing which owns the McDonnell-Douglas manufacturer of the plane and Connecticut-based engine-maker Pratt & Whitney, according to The Punch.

The Sun narrates the anguish of an air hostess’ mother who accuses Dana of “wasting” her baby, days before she was due to resign and resettle abroad having acquired British and American visas.

The Punch reports the birthday cake of a couple killed in the plane crash remains uneaten. Correspondents dispatched by the newspaper to the Lagos home of Daniel and Georgina Awani found the cake ordered by their children to celebrate their father’s 55th birthday was still on the dining table on Thursday.