By Okey Ndiribe
Posted to the Web: Saturday, October 29, 2005

More pitiable as they arrived were the wives of the dead ones and the children who had lost their fathers or mothers. For the former, they always had their friends and relatives who offered helping hands and words of consolation when the women came to the stark realities that it was, indeed, this Lisa forest that their beloved ones were buried underground.

The case of Oby Oluigbo was more pathetic. She had lost her sister and in-law in the air crash She could not hold back her emotions and burst into tears while President Olusegun Obasanjo was addresing the congregation last Thursday. While the younger Oby wept uncontrollably, her elder sister, Vivian told this reporter that their sister named Nkiru had married Chukwuemeka Okoli recently and both of them perished in the air crash.

However, Mrs. Grace Yetunde Omotade who also lost her husband in the crash managed to pull herself together. She said it was the belief she and her children had in Jesus Christ that had sustained them during this trying period. She said her three daughters have been devastated by news of their father’s death even though they were all living abroad.

Mrs Sabulu, wife of the late Comrade Sabulu President of National Association of Nurses and Midwives ( NANM) was in a state of deep shock and could barely utter audible words when she was approached by a group of journalists for an interview.
The sleepy village was thronged by thousands of people from different parts of the country who attended the inter-religious service. As early as 10 a.m., many Christian and Muslim clerics had arrived the village to begin preparations for the inter-faith service. The choir of Winners chapel was on hand to render various renditions for the day.

President Olusegun Obasanjo who arrived Lisa at about 1 p.m, urged relatives of the victims of the crashed aircraft to refrain from grieving too much and take solace in the injunction of the holy books of Christianity and Islam that there is life after death.
He said that relatives of the air crash victims must not weep like people who have no expectations of a life after departing this world.

President Obasanjo who attended the occasion along with several members of his Federal Executive council and the governors of Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti , Oshun and the Deputy Governor of Lagos State expressed condolences to the Nigerian and foreign families of the victims over the air crash. on behalf of himself and the Federal Government.

He thanked all those who have so far participated in the rescue efforts at the scene of the crash. He thanked the govermnor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel for his efforts in arranging the inter-religious service at the scene of the crash.

He further stated that the national tragedy had revealed to him that Nigerians could be united in sharing grief and sorrow, adding that there was no household in the country that had not been affected in one way or the other by the event of last Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
The Christian service was led by Bishop Oderinde of the Methodist Church.
Pieces of papers and documents were seen lying all over the place. The bulk of the search and rescue team was made up of men of the Nigerian Navy.

Among the dignitaries who attended the service were Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and his counterparts from Oyo, Chief Rasheed Ladoja; Ekiti, Prince Ayo Fayose and the deputy governor of Lagos State Prince Femi Pedro.

Also present were the the Minister of Finance, Dr Mrs Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of Aviation Professor Babalola Borisade; Minister of Information Mr Frank Nweke ; Speaker of the House of Representatives Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero.

Efforts to excavate the remains of the crashed Bellview aircraft from where it was buried underground at Lisa village, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State would commence today.

Sources close to rescue workers at the scene of the crash told Saturday Vanguard that necessary equipment needed to pull out the remains of the aircraft would commence as soon as the equipment for the exercise by Julius Berger Construction Company arrives Lisa today.