Recently, the whole space was filled with the news of a purported plane crash which went viral.
The news initially triggered confusion across the sector with people gripped with apprehension and uncertainties.
The different aviation authorities were bombarded with barrage of enquiries from different interested parties including the media about the purported incident.
The news which spread like a wide fire was later found to be not just a ruse but a mere relocation of a disused aircraft from the Murtala Muhammad Airport.
According to information gathered from different key players including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) the plane people termed to have crashed was one of the abandoned planes that the owner decided to sell as a scrap.
It was not until the revelations came from the aviation authorities that there was no crash that the tension about the crash was doused.
Though the case has been settled, but the unfortunate tension it generated had only gone to show the extent people can go to misuse the social media network.
It is no longer news how some people rush to post all manner of shenanigans on the social media unverified just because they have access to the platforms.
While people have the right to make use of their devices to express themselves, there is however the need to take precaution not to use the privileges to send wrong signals about the country to the world.
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For those behind these unfortunate news, they should tread softly when it comes to aviation as the sector is such a sensitive terrain where people shouldn’t spread news based on assumptions.
Globally, the issue involving plane crashes is not toyed with because human lives are involved once it happens, therefore, each time the issue of crashes occur in any part of the world, the global aviation community is always in disarray.
So many things are involved whenever a plane crashes as the different components that make up such a plane including the manufacturer, the engine manufacturer, the country where the plane crashed and the families of the passengers on board and the authorities must all be involved.
Therefore, because of the seriousness and deep emotions involved, issues relating to crashes should not be what people wish for.
Agreed that the abuse of social media is not peculiar to the aviation sector, but there is the need for the aviation authorities to engage Nigerians on the need to be cautious about faking news or spreading unconfirmed reports on issues such as crashes.
Anytime issues relating to aviation is put on social media it spreads so fast and therefore put pressure on the entire system.
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