Conflicting reports have emerged over a video said to be the newly renovated Nnamdi Azikiwe International Abuja airport tarmac flooded with water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0d0iGs6frM
The video which went viral in the Nigerian cyberspace on Sunday shows the airport tarmac flooded as an Arik air flight was preparing to board its passengers.
Following a Punch newspaper headline titled; “VIDEO: Flood overtakes newly renovated Abuja Airport”, and a poser on Twitter by SIGNAL on Monday, the Twitter handle of Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika, @HadiSirika shared a report by Nigerianflightdeck, an aviation news site saying the video was posted three years ago in one of the South Eastern states of Nigeria and not Abuja.
READ: Video of Flooded Airport Shot 3 Years Ago in South East, Not Abuja – Aviation News Site
In a similar development, the official handle of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), @FAAN_Official shared a link to another report by www.aviationages.com stating that the video was that of an incident which happened in Owerri in 2014. “It happened at the Sam Mbakwe International Airport, Owerri in 2014 and the administration then put necessary measures in place to avert re occurrence of such. You can dig deeper to further confirm what I am saying. FAAN has nothing to hide. If it actually happened recently, I mean two to three days ago, the management would have issued press statement to that effect”, the website quoted a source.
The Nigerian social media has been divided with comments citing Enugu, Owerri, Lagos and Abuja as the exact location of the eyesore.
Popular Nigerian celebrity publisher Betty Irabor tweeted that the image is three years old.
@ToyinO1 @DrJoeAbah @thesignalng @Amaka_Ekwo @akaebube @bukolasaraki @hadisirika @DigiCommsNG @RotimiAmaechi that flood image is 3 yrs old
— Betty Irabor (@BettyIrabor) May 15, 2017
President Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad also tweeted via his handle @BashirAhmaad dispelling the news as fake.
FAKE NEWS!! https://t.co/RIH6m1ju12
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) May 15, 2017
And ‘Nigerianflightdeck would like to tender an unreserved apology for misleading the public’
APOLOGY, APOLOGY, APOLOGY
Same old story… pic.twitter.com/JxnSrCTmb3
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) May 15, 2017
An official handle of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), @APCUKingdom also lampooned the report as “fake news”.
[VENDOR OF FAKE NEWS]
It appears May is the Month of FAKE NEWS! Do passengers board/disembark on the Runway? #HOGWASH
cc: @Ayourb @jag_bros https://t.co/3wa7LE3R6D— APC United Kingdom (@APCUKingdom) May 15, 2017
But in a new twist, online newspaper Sahara Reporters reports that the development occurred at the general Aviation Terminal of the local wing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport just last Thursday contrary to claims that the incident happened three years ago.
“The tarmac was flooded as an Arik air flight WS 0640 was preparing to take off from Lagos to Owerri at 11 am on Thursday, May 11 2017.
“An Arik air source said the flight was delayed due to difficulties in boarding the aircraft, a Boeing 737 aircraft with registration number 5N-MJJ”, the newspaper said.
The Nigerian Ministry of Aviation is yet to officially comment on the reports.
SIGNAL could not reach the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika for comments at the time of this report.
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