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BREAKING! El-Rufai linked to owners of helicopter that crashed in Lagos
BY KAZIE UKO
Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been linked to Quorum Aviation Limited, owners of the ill-fated helicopter which crashed Friday into a building on Salvation Road, Opebi, Lagos State.
El-Rufai, on behalf of Kaduna State Government, according to RELIABLESOURCENG.COM findings, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Quorum Aviation on September 25, 2019, to provide air shuttle services between Kaduna-Abuja-Lagos.
The service to be called Boku Air (Operated by Quorum Aviation Ltd) will operate several times daily as a shuttle service between Abuja and kaduna with expansion plan for other cities in the future.
Information available on the company’s website shows that two 50-seater business jets were designated for the planned air shuttle.
A statement published on the QAL website, under the headline ‘QAL and El-Rufai introduces 2 jets for Kaduna-Abuja air shuttle services’ reads:
On the September 25, 2019 Gov. Nasir El-Rufai introduces 2 jets for Kaduna-Abuja air shuttle services The Kaduna State Government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Quorum Aviation Ltd, QAL, to operate air shuttle services to Abuja and Lagos.
According to the MoU, the company would run at least five shuttle flights daily under the trade name BOKU AIR. Governor Nasiru El-Rufai said after the signing ceremony that it was an expression of the company’s confidence in the government. He believed that the air shuttle service would complement the Kaduna-Abuja rail service. “I am very confident that it will be viable, hence, I am calling on all the people in Kaduna State, particularly businessmen and women that are interested in transacting businesses in Abuja to take advantage of this service which began from road transport, to rail and now air transport. “We thank Quorum Aviation Limited for exploring this opportunity and taking up this challenge. We are handing over our terminal building which we constructed and equipped at our own cost,” he said.
The Managing Director, QAL, Lukman Lawal, said company would deploy two 50-seater business jets to provide a minimum of five daily shuttle passenger services at an affordable price specifically between Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos. Mr. Abiola Lawal said the air shuttle service will be a great complement to the train service currently running between Kaduna and Abuja. He stated that Kaduna government is leasing the lounge at the Kaduna airport to the company for a period of ten years.
To enable QAL renovate and fix the terminal to meet regulatory requirements before commencement of the shuttle services, the lease shall take effect three months after its execution.
Quorum Aviation had issued a statement today, August 28, 2020, announcing that the crashed helicopter belonged to it.
The company also identified the three people aboard the helicopter, a Bell 206 with registration number 5N-BQW, as its crew members.
The statement read, “As soon as we received news of the accident, we promptly informed the aviation authorities, Accident Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
“Preliminary reports indicate that of the three souls on board – all crew, two of the crew members lost their lives whilst the third one is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
“We have been made to understand that nobody in the building, nor in the vicinity was injured for which we are grateful.
“In accordance with aviation regulations, the AIB has taken over the investigation process. We hereby ask members of the public to await the outcome of the investigation.
“We hereby express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew who lost their loved ones in this tragic accident.”