The managements of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF and that of ARIK Air have come out to clear the air about what happened with players and officials of Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles, the Dream Team, when they escaped an air mishap in Ghana on Sunday.
In what appears to be an attempt to downplay the dangerous incident that happened, the NFF President Amaju Pinnick on Monday regretted the misunderstanding that led to panic reports of ‘lost engine’ and ‘near plane crash.’ ARIK Air on the other hand said that its plane conveying the Nigeria U-23 team to The Gambia for a training camp did not lose an engine, one of the planes only lost one tyre while landing in Accra.
Pinnick stated in a press statement early on Monday that: “I was contacted immediately after the incident and I know that the airplane was not in any serious problem. When these things happen, the tendency is for people to sensationalize.
“ARIK Air has remained one of the safest and best airlines, and we will continue to patronize them. They have provided us excellent services in recent times, flying the Super Eagles to and from Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Swaziland, without any untoward incident.”
Pinnick commended the aircraft in ARIK’s fleet and said the airline’s safety precautions are marvelous.
“They have flown us with their excellent Boeing 737-800 and the Bombardier Jet in recent times, and players and officials have never had any reason to complain.” ARIK flew the Super Eagles to and from Tanzania for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September, flew the Eagles B delegation to and from Burkina Faso for a 2016 African Nations Championship qualifier in October and also flew the Super Eagles to and from Swaziland for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier last week.”
While narrating what happened in Ghana on Sunday, ARIK Air’s Public Relations and communications Manager, Banji Ola disclosed that “the captain saw an indication light and as a precautionary measure, he had to make an air return. It was not a case of lost engine.
“There was no case of lost engine. It is true that the one that flew the team from Lagos lost one tyre while landing in Accra. As for the other airplane, the pilot only saw an indication light and made an air return as a precautionary measure.
“ARIK immediately made arrangement for another aircraft to fly the team to The Gambia. ”
The Nigeria U-23 delegation has since arrived and settled down in The Gambia.
