A former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja and several Confab delegates survived a mid-air mishap yesterday.
The Overland Airways plane with registration number 5NBPE, took off from Ibadan Airport had its windshield damage while flying over Minna, Niger State and was forced to return to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
According to an eyewitness on board some of the passengers fainted on hearing that the windshield had broken.
Persons aboard the plane apart form Ladoja included former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Lanre Ogundipe; Senators Gbenga Kaka from Ogun State and Hosea Agboola from Oyo State as well as Mr. Demola Akinlabi, an officer in the Accountant- General of the Federation’s Office. Others include the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Gbade Lana and a Federal National Population Commissioner, Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Gbadamosi.
It was gathered that Ladoja was due to take his turn to speak at the national conference yesterday but due to the near air mishap, which resulted in his absence, his turn was skipped.
Meanwhile, Mr. Supo Atobatele, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA,while speaking on the incidence said “There is no cause for alarm as the diversion was precautionary and this conforms to the basic safety norms of the industry.”