Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other Nigerians, on Wednesday, May 29 escaped death at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport when an Ethiopian Airlines plane almost crashed.
Igbere TV learnt that other prominent Nigerians in the Ethiopian airline passenger aircraft, Boeing 777-300, included the Director General of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni.
Also in the plane was Prof Samson Tunde Adebayo, the Director of Ports Inspection, National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) as well as scores of Nigerians and other nationals.
Igbere TV gathered that the passenger aircraft, ET-901, had departed the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, at about 9:10 a.m., Ethiopian time; 7 a.m Nigerian time.
A journalist, who was among the passengers, reports that the almost 5-hour flight from the Ethiopian capital to Lagos had been smooth until the pilot attempted to land at the Murtala Mohammed International airport.
Rather than landing on the first touchline of the runway, the pilot over shot it, due to rain and heavy wind, landing on the third touchline.
Igbere TV learnt that, on realising this, the pilot quickly manouvered the plane back air, flying out of the Lagos airport.
After hovering around between Lagos and areas suspected to be in Ogun, causing panic in passengers and crew members, the plane landed in Lagos airport, some 20 minutes after the initial false landing.
Our correspondent observed that many passengers broke out into worship songs and clapping, while some fell to their knees in prayer.
The duty manager and Chief Customer Service (Nigeria) of the airline, Mr Otori Jimoh Otan, told newsmen that if the pilot had continued taxing down after landing on the third touchline, he would have overshot the runway.
“But this is an experienced pilot. He realised this immediately.
“Fortunately, the distance between when he realised the situation still permitted him to take off and renegotiate landing,” Otori said.
Obasanjo and Olukanni had both attended a Stakeholders Dialogue on Continental Trade and Strengthening Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which ended on Tuesday in Addis Ababa.
