Malam Mohammed Garba, the National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other passengers on board a Royal Air Maroc, on Thursday escaped an air crash in Lagos.
Garba said concerning the incident that eight NUJ executive members, himself and other passengers, boarded the aircraft in Lagos on their way to Casablanca, Morocco, en-route Cotonou in Benin Republic.
“We were travelling aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to Royal Air Maroc and made an emergency landing early on Thursday at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, due to a technical fault.
“My brother, it was a very sad experience as we noticed from the takeoff that the aircraft seemed to be shaking. “I was leading eight other journalists from Nigeria to the Federation of African journalists (FAJ) congress in Casablanca, Morocco.
“As soon as we were airborne, the aircraft could not attain the normal altitude expected of a plane that was going on an international journey.
“The pilot, after trying his best, announced to the passengers after an hour that he had to do an air return to Lagos.
“We thank God that all the passengers that boarded the aircraft are alive now.”
Garba, who commended the effective communication between the pilot and the control tower in Lagos, however said that the aircraft also found it difficult to land in Lagos.
He said that the aircraft, which came from Casablanca en-route Cotonou to Lagos, was said to have had a similar problem on its earlier trip.
The NUJ president, however, could not ascertain the number of passengers on board the aircraft.
Source: Dailytimes
