An Overland Airline, Flight 1199, conveying prominent Nigerians from Akure to Abuja on Tuesday reportedly escaped being crashed when the aircraft could not land and hovered around in the sky in Abuja for several minutes unending according to Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State who was on board.
President Muhammadu Buhari was said to be either leaving or coming into the airport, which meant that no plane could leave or arrive until he was done according to Peretei in an article he shared with Starnews Nigeria on Wednesday and titled: “25 Minutes of Tension Soaked Flight From Akure to Abuja”
A former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and over 100 prominent Nigerians were said to be onboard the airline.
“Those who could no longer hold their peace started shouting at the hostesses for a situation update. Others merely resorted to prayers. It was not clear as to what exactly the pilot said, so anxiety was the order of the day as the aircraft hovered around Abuja for minutes unending.”
“Within this short period, l have silently uttered my last prayers as l began to play the tape of my entire life in my mind’s eye. My wife who l had called to announce that we have started boarding appeared first. Then, my children and grandchildren all occupied my thoughts.”
“I looked around the aircraft, l saw Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the two-term Governor of Ondo State, who just celebrated his 67th birthday. My friend, former House of Representatives member, Debo Olugunagba with who l shared jokes at the Departure Hall, in Akure were thoughts that started running riots in my head.”
“Because l sat on the window side, l constantly took a view of the topography and the rocks beneath the aircraft and was wondering what will be next.”
“Perhaps, more agonising for me was the question ” So, we can’t even fly again, how do we travel in this country”?
“The anxiety time was short, but enough for one to lose his sanity. Then, suddenly we started descending to Abuja until we finally touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 2.15 p.m. Shouts of “Praise The Lord” were what welcomed us to Abuja.”
“It was only after arrival that we got the details of what happened. Others like us were in the air perhaps for the same time or less. President Muhammadu Buhari was said to be either leaving or coming into the airport, which meant that no plane could leave or arrive until he was done.”
“That was the second time l was going to be trapped in this kind of abuse of power. The first time, some African Heads of States were arriving in Abuja, and for 45minutes, the plane that had been cleared for take-off waited at the tarmac until the last of them had left the airport,” Peretei said in the article.
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