By Hector Igbikiowubo
Posted to the Web: Saturday, October 29, 2005

The ill fated Bellview flight 210 crash last Saturday at Lisa, in Ifo, Ogun State which claimed 117 lives abruptly is one such instance.

I understand that one of the passengers who got on board the flight had arrived the airport a little late and was told that he could not get on board the ill fated flight. The passenger then called his home in Abuja to inform them he would not be returning till the next day. However, in a last ditch effort to get on board the plane which was still on ground, he approached one of the officials and after a tip had changed hands, he was taken to the plane where the official called on the radio to let those conducting check-in know that there was one more passenger approaching the plane. He succeeded in boarding the plane and the rest like we know is history. How could he have known that he was tipping his way to his death?

Although the rest of the passengers who boarded the ill fated flight did not have to tip any official to get on board, an inspection of the flight manifest shows that some of those who boarded did so with tickets belonging to other people. Could they have taken the chance if they knew it would be their last? Certainly not!
Although no life lost in the crash could be said to be greater than the other, I feel a personal connection with Mr. George Ikemefuna Enenmoh, the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Ascon Oil whom I spoke with one hour before he boarded the flight. Enenmoh bestrode the oil industry like a meteor in the sky.
Barely three months ago, he celebrated his 50th birthday, the expansion of his company’s petroleum product’s storage capacity from 30 million litres to 70 million litres, the commissioning of an 18,000 line capacity telephone exchange and the commissioning of two ships.

Enenmoh had at least three hundred staff in his employ and these staff were a reflection of his belief in one Nigeria. He strove for perfection in a manner only he could and he believed in the regeneration of Nigeria through enterprise, hard work and discipline. With Enenmoh there was no dull moment. Maybe, he knew his days were numbered when last week, he sent me a mail insisting that I had to read it. The mail was titled ‘to reflect and ....act’. There is no better way to give an insight into the persona called George Ikemefuna Enenmoh. It read:

The difference between the poor countries and rich ones is not the age of the country. This can be shown by countries like India and Egypt, that are more than 2000 years old and are poor.

On the other hand, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, that 150 years ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries and are rich.
The difference between poor and rich countries does not reside in the available natural resources.

Japan has a limited land territory, 80 per cent mountainous, inadequate for agriculture and cattle rearing, but it is the second largest economy in the world. The country is like an immense floating factory, importing raw materials from the whole world and exporting manufactured products.

Another example is Switzerland, which does not plant cocoa but has the best chocolate in the world. In its little territory, they raise animals and till the soil four months per year. Not enough, they produce dairy products of the best quality. It is a small country that transmits an image of security, order and labour, and this has made it the world’s strong safe.

Executives from rich countries who communicate with their counterparts in poor countries show that there is no significant intellectual difference.
Race or skin colour is also not important: immigrants labelled lazy in their countries of origin are the productive power in rich European countries.

What is the difference?
The difference is the attitude of the people, framed along the years by education and culture.

On analysing the behaviour of the people in rich and developed countries, we find that the great majority follow the following principles in their lives:
*Ethics, as a basic principle;
* Integrity;
*Responsibility;
*Respect for the laws and rules;
*Respect for the rights of other citizens;
*Work loving;
*Strive for saving and investment;
*Will of super action;
*Punctuality.

In poor countries, only a minority follow these basic principles in their daily life.
We are not poor because we lack natural resources or because nature was cruel to us. We are poor because we lack attitude. We lack the will to comply with and teach these functional principles of rich and developed societies.

If you do not forward this message nothing will happen to you. Your pet will not die, you will not be fired, you will not have bad luck for seven years and also, you will not get sick.
If you love your country, let this message circulate. A majority of the people this message reaches could reflect about this and change.

For want of better adjectives to qualify Enenmoh, I would call him a true Nigerian patriot who accomplished so much within his 50 eventful years on earth, impacting on people, thinking and conducting affairs within and outside the country. Even though he could afford to live a life of lavish splendour outside Nigeria, his abiding faith in the regeneration of a prostrate Nigerian polity kept him rooted to the motherland. He presented several papers at various fora within and outside the Nigerian oil and gas industry and was in the vanguard of increased local participation in the oil and gas sector.

On his 50th birthday, I asked him what he looked forward to doing in retirement and he said he planned to build a school someday where he could pay attention to imparting knowledge. May his soul and those of others who lost their lives in the ill fated flight find repose in the bosom of the Lord God.