Following yesterday plane crash, a former Executive Director of Air Nigeria has come out to issue a stern warning to the Nigerian public who uses Air Nigeria as their flight of choice, to desist from doing using that. According to John Nnorom who was a former Executive Director Finance of Air Nigeria to stop until the aircraft being used by the airlines for its flight operations are being put in order.
In an open and blazing warning made through a passionate appeal, the former Executive Director who until April 1, 2012 was the ED in charge of Finance before throwing in the towel, apportioned blame on the business mogul Jimoh Ibrahim of having no interest company’s aircrafts maintenance.
According to him he said that he and some of the verifying Engineers face a lot of threats of elimination by the airline’s owner Jimoh Ibrahim if they dare make known this covert to Nigerians.
However, in his report he said that ahead of his resignation, he forwarded a strong letter to the company citing that he prefer to die rather than seen over hundreds of Nigerian souls perish in an aircraft called Air Nigeria.
According to him, Air Nigeria is in a deep pecuniary crisis as result of the N35.5 Billion money loaned by Bank of Industry has been sidetracked into Jimoh Ibrahim’s NICON INVESTMENT LTD, which is also a non-finance company popularly called wonder bank, which has also hindered air safety and adding that there awaits a ruinous air crash of air Nigeria any moment from now if care is not taken.
He went to lament that in early this years January 2012, all the licensed Licensed Engineers working in Air Nigeria embark on an industrial action due to the fact that they were being obligated to endorse flabby aircraft into the air, however that yet another strike was prevented in March 2012 with the prior interference of the DG-NCAA, Harold Demureen. According to Mr. Nnorom the two events were as a result of not a success to meet up Safety Standard, and that these are even information which is provable which the public are sentient of.
However, he raised pertinent questions which he said are facts; why are Air Nigeria flights occasionally belated for as several times as eight hours? According to the petitioner, that is because the aircraft for that flight is not ready. “While passengers are waiting, engineers are battling to put the aircraft on Air. Several times our Aircraft on Runway taxing to takeoff, turns back to offload passengers due to some technical faults observed by Pilots.”
He said that of the 11 aircraft being operated by Air Nigeria, only one, Embraer, is safe to fly Nigeria Air space, with all of the others needing “deep and heavy” technical maintenance.
“This explains why Air Nigeria has never operated more than six Aircraft out of eleven Aircraft. Air Nigeria does not have the money to fix these Aircrafts. Let anybody go and check now, some of the Aircraft and Engines have been grounded for the past one year.”
Mr. Nnorom even advised that “Nigerians who choose to take the risk of flying Air Nigeria not to eat or drink anything, pointing out that passengers have been poisoned because Air Nigeria serves bottled pure water, and that passengers have complained of being served smelling waters.
That also Mr. Ibrahim’s companies, including Air Nigeria; do not have tax clearance certificates. He listed the others as Global Fleet Oil & Gas, NICON Insurance, Nigeria RE-Insurance, NICON Properties Ltd, Nicon Luxury, Nicon Hotels Okitipupa, VGC & PHC, Newswatch Communications, Newswatch Daily and National Mirror,” Mr. Nnorom said in his petition.
“In Air Nigeria, just to renew expatriate resident permit, Bar Jimoh Ibrahim will instruct a vendor to forge all the tax clearance papers which is filed with the immigration.”
Mr. Nnorom said that Jimoh Ibrahim: “As the chairman of Air Nigeria, has diverted N5billion From a BOI aviation industry intervention loan Of N35.5billion granted last year by the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria into NICON INVESTMENT LTD; Diverted $18m Out Of $40m Afrixim federal government support of the aviation industry; with $26,969,505.63 diverted into Mr. Ibrahim’s acquisition of Energy Bank of Ghana,” he said.
He also said that: “Jimoh had diverted N10 billion released by the government through the office of the Accountant-General of Nigeria for the payment of pensioners into Nicon Insurance Plc released the sum of, with no pensioner being paid,” he concludes.
Moreover in his petitions he alleged that Mr. Ibrahim is trying to kill him, and attached his letter of resignation and subsequent acknowledgement by the CEO and FOREIGN LEASSORS to the petition.
“On the SFU, recovery of $75,000 from me, I was never arrested, never invited by SFU, did not make any statement, I do not know how money was recovered from me,” he said. “I am ready to sponsor any person to come with me to SFU and show me my statement,” attributing the matter to Mr. Ibrahim’s “poor character of cheap blackmail.”
According to the former Executive Director, “Jimoh Ibrahim is after my life but if my death will save hundred Nigerian souls from plane crash and that is the will of GOD, my soul will be happy to meet my creator anytime.”
