President of Ife Development Board (IDB), Mr Lawrence Awowoyin, has appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise security in the aviation sector to ensure safety of lives and property of the citizenry.
Awowoyin made the appeal while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ile-Ife.
He condemned the plane crash that claimed the lives of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Ibrahim Attairu and 10 other officers in Kaduna on Friday.
Awowoyin described the incident as very unfortunate, saying that it had dealt a terrible blow on the nation’s security system.
He also described the death of the late COAS as loss of a national asset, saying that his death might constitute a setback to the fight against insecurity.
Awowoyin called on government to investigate the incident with a view to making necessary amends to security in the aviation sector.
Another member of IDB, Mr Bunmi Adegoke, also told NAN that the death of Attairu and other officers was a colossal loss to the nation.
Adegoke said that it was sad that such a crash could occur at a time when Nigeria was facing serious security challenges.
He enjoined the federal government to adequately compensate the families that lost their people in order to encourage other military personnel to continue the fight against insurgency and armed banditry in the country.
Also, a retired military officer, Raphael Towobola, urged the government to make more funds aviation to procure enough equipment.
“This is one death too many. We don’t want a situation where we will be losing our military officers in such circumstances. Urgent steps must be taken to address the situation,” the retired major said. (NAN)
