• Home
• Columnist
• Videos
• Artist
  • Musicians
  • Actors
  • Comedians
• Notable Nigerians
• Legend Dies
• Articles
  • Nigeria Articles
• Photos
• Submit Article

Author: ahamioje iyere ernest
Posted to the web: 10/26/2005 10:06:04 AM

IT WAS EARLY IN ON A SUNDAY  MORNING WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM NIGERIA THAT THERE WAS A PLANE CRASH AND THE FIRST LADY WAS DEAD...WHAT CAME TO MY MIND THERE AND THEN WAS THAT SHE DIED IN THE PLANE CRASH  ....
 
I WAS SCARED AS I RUSHED TO CALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS I LEFT HOME IN THE CRAZY SOCIETY CALLED NIGERIA AND I WAS   CALM WHEN I HEARD THAT ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WERE OKAY BUT I STILL HAD A DEEP SYMPATHY FOR THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LOVED ONCE IN THE CRASH  THAT WAS TRAGIC AND I SEND MY THOUGHT'S AND PRAYER TO THEM, AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS ALL MOST ESPECIALLY THE EXPERIENCED PILOT , THE CO PILOT AND HIS WIFE AS WELL AS THE YOUTH COPPER WHO LOST HIS LIFE  AND TO ALL ON BOARD THE FLIGHT210..U ALL ARE KNOWN AS NIGERIAN UNFORGOTTEN HEROS AND NOT VILIANS..
 
TO MR OBASANJO , AS U SAID GOD BROUGHT STELLA TO YOU AND HE TOOK STELLA BACK FROM U IF THATS WAS GOD'S WISH SO SHALL IT BE ,BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO DIE ONE DAY.
 
THEN I BEGAN TO THINK ,WHAT WENT WRONG IN THE AIRCRAFT.... I'VE SEEN MOVIES OF AIRCRAFT CRASH LANDING HERE AND PEOPLE DIED BUT I COULD NOT IMAGINE  WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FAITH OF THOSE ON BOARD KNOWING WELL THAT THERE WAS NO HOPE , WHAT WAS THE STRUGGLE , WHAT DID THE RICH SAY IN THEIR LAST BID FOR LIFE, HOW WAS THE MOOD IN THE SKY WHEN THE FLIGHT WAS COMING DOWN? WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN AND BABIES ON BOARD? WAS EVERYONE CRYING? WERE SOME SLEEPING? DID PEOPLE GIVE THEIR LIFE TO GOD THERE AND THEN? OH MY GOD !!! ALL THIS THOUGHT CAME TO MY MIND AND THEN THE SUDDEN CRASH? SOO SAD (CRYING)!!!
 
NOW WE MUST FACE REALITY , WHEN I WAS GROWNING UP AS A YOUNG BOY I NEVER ENTERED A PLANE AS MY PARENTS WERE JUST OKAY ..WE WOULD GO BY  ROAD OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT ..I NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF FLYING AS FLYING WAS CONSIDERED TO BE FOR THE RICH , THE FIRST TIME I FLEW WAS ON MY DEPATURE FROM NIGERIA TOO THE STATES AND FOR THE WHOLE 12 HOURS I WAS AIR BORNE  I WAS SCARED .WHILE AIRBORNE I THOUGHT ABOUT THE 911 CRASH, THE HIJACKS AND WHAT HAVE U ...I WAS STILL SCARED WHEN WE WERE LANDING UNTILL I CAME OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND STEPPED MY FOOT ON AMERICAN SOIL...
 
I DONT WANT TO BORE YOU MY READERS WITH MY LONG STORY BUT I HAVE 2 MESSAGES FOR THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT:
 
 I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE LEARNT A LESSON FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, THE AVIATON MINISTRY SHOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND IT SHOULD BE STANDARD , THERE SHOULD BE MONTLY SERVICING OF AIR CRAFTS AND ANY AIRCRAFT THAT  DO NOT MEET THE FAAN STANDARD SHOULD BE  GROUNDED AS THIS WOULD SAVE  LOT OF LIVES  AND PROPERTY ...I NOW SEE WHY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT DO NOT ALLOW ANY NIGERIAN CARRIER TO DUCK ON THE AMERICAN SOIL , I THOUGHT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WERE BEEN BIASED BUT I NOW BELIEVE THAT THEY WERE NOT AS NIGERIAN FLIGHTS ARE SUB STANDARD.... , DOES IT MEAN THAT BEFORE I TAKE ANY FLIGHT WITH IN NIGERIA I HAVE TO WRITE OUT 'MY WILL' BECAUSE I WOULD NOT KNOW MY FAITH  UP ABOVE THE SKY SO HIGH? I THOUGHT MY PAYING 10,000 NAIRA FOR A 50 MINUTE FLIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY LIFE INSURANCE ? MOSTLY AFFECTED ARE THE RICH ...I REALLY SYMPATISE WITH YOU ALL .
 
ON THE ISSUE OF STELLA, I  BELIEVE GOD WAS TRYING TO SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR HEALTH SYSTEM   DOES IT MEAN WE DONT HAVE GOOD COSMETOLOGIST IN NIGERIA ? MEANING OUR HOSPITALS DO NOT HAVE THE FACILITIES TO DO A COSMETIC SURGERY? SO IF MY SELF AS A POOR MAN I CAN'T BE TREATED IN MY OWN LAND AND I NEVER HAVE THE MEANS OF TRAVELLING ABOARD ..WHAT WOULD BE MY FAITH? I WOULD DIE. I WAS SO HAPPY AT A TIME WHEN I WAS READING THE NEWS OF AN OPERATION IN ILORIN TEACHING HOSPITAL LEAD BY DR ADENIRAN AND HIS TEAM WHO SUCCESSFULLY SEPERATED A TWO TWINS THAT WERE CONJOINED , BUT MINUTES LATER I HEARD THEY BOTH DIED...WHAT WENT WRONG? THIS STUFF STILL BOTHERS ME .
 
NOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA ,, MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON HEALTH CARE IN OTHER TO MAKE OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM MOST EFFECTIVE AND PEOPLE COULD BE TREATED WITH IN THE WALLS OF NIGERIA ..THIS IS A SLIP AND SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN..........I NEVER KNEW THE RICH WOULD FOREVER CRY!!!! WHAT A TRAGIC ENDING ...GOD BLESS NIGERIA!!!