President Goodluck Jonathan Escapes Plane Crash In His N9bn Jet

There was tension inside the plane, many
of those with President were looking at
his face, but he looked away from them
as fear started creeping into their minds.
What will happened, is this a sign of
danger?
President Goodluck Jonathan and top
government functionaries on Saturday
escaped an air mishap at Minna Airport,
Niger State, when the N9billion
Presidential Jet developed technical fault,
while they were aboard.
The presidential jet, Nigerian Air Force
001, had earlier conveyed Jonathan to
Minna for PDP North-Central rally which
held in the state. But when at the end of
the rally, the President returned to the
airport in company of top government
officials, PDP state governors and party
chiefs for a trip to Sokoto, from where he
was scheduled to return to Abuja, they
didn't know that something strange was
waiting for them....
Several minutes after Jonathan had bade
farewell to those who accompanied him
to the airport, and the door of the aircraft
was shut, the aircraft failed to move.
After many attempts, crew members and
engineers, for the first time, had to
disembarked from the aircraft and made
spirited efforts to fix the fault as armed
security men took strategic positions
around the place.
While this was going on, Vice-President
Namadi Sambo; Senate President,, David
Mark; PDP governors and National
Assembly and Federal Executive Council
members were watching in disbelieve.
They couldn't understand why a
Presidential Jet that they voted billions of
Naira for its maintenance would be in
such a bad shape that it couldn't fly any
more. Is it that the Ogas are pocketing
the money for servicing?
When it became obvious that Nigeria's
Number One Presidential plane has been
grounded, the commander of the
Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Uko
Ebong, ordered that a smaller presidential
jet, which took the Vice-President to the
state be brought to fly Jonathan.
President Jonathan disembarked from the
faulty jet around 3.30pm and quickly
moved to the smaller aircraft.
All the top government officials and PDP
governors who had rushed into the first
plane with Jonathan all come down with
long faces, with some of them sweating
heavily. It was indeed a big
embarrassment as many started making
alternative travel arrangements.
When asked what happened to the plane,
a FAAN official simply said: “The return
engine refused to pick.”