Our tears are like shed drops of blood that colour and paint the nation in a canvas of blood.
Prominent lives, notable personalities - all gone in the twinkle of an eye...
The respect, the power all gone - vanished.
They're now shadows of the past - lingering memories of a recently bygone era...
Some excerpts from some national newspapers (THISDAY & GUARDIAN):
It was yet another tragic Sunday yesterday in Nigeria with the crash in Abuja of a okoto-bound ADC flight that had on board the 19th Sultan of Sokoto and leader of the Muslim Ummah in the country, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Maccido (111); his son, Badamaci, who was a senator, as well as a grandson. Also onboard the aircraft was a leading advocate of democracy anchored on the rule of law, Senator Sule Yari Gandi, and many other prominent citizens. Coming exactly a year after the Bellview crash at Lisa Village, Ogun State, which claimed creme-de-la-creme of the Nigerian society, it was one crash too many for the nation. http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=61900
SINCE 1925 when Nigeria made its in road into the aviation industry with the first aeroplane landing in Lagos, the country has experienced over 50 serious air disasters. The first major air crash in the 81 year-old aviation industry was that of a Federal Government owned VC-10 aircraft on November 20, 1969. It was flying in from London and crashed as it prepared to land at the then Ikeja Airport. All 87 passengers and crew members on board were killed. Thereafter, the skies appeared safe until the late 80s and 90s when the crash surged due to the liberalisation of the sector.
Some of the disasters included:
- June 26, 1991: An Okada Airlines plane carrying 55 passengers crashed in Sokoto with three persons killed.
- September 1992: 158 people were killed when a military transport plane went down at Ejigbo, Lagos.
- November 7, 1996: 142 people died when Boeing 727 (Flight 086) owned by Aviation Development Company (ADC) Airlines plunged into the Lagos lagoon 85 kilometres from Lagos.