Posted by By ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, and Bashir Umar, Abuja on
The Chaplain of Jesuit Loyola College, Reverend Father Ugo Nweke, has revealed that the college would have recorded more casualties if some of the students had not chosen to remain in the college for a retreat.
The Chaplain of Jesuit Loyola College, Reverend Father Ugo Nweke, has revealed that the college would have recorded more casualties if some of the students had not chosen to remain in the college for a retreat.
According to him, some of the students still in the college would have been in the crashed Sosoliso plane, but that they chose to stay back for their retreat.
The chaplain made the revelation while receiving the senate president and other members of the National Assembly who visited the college to condole with the staff and students.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senate President Ken Nnamani and Education Minister, Mrs Chinwe Obaji were among the early callers to arrive the premises of Jesuit Loyola College to pay their last respect to the departed souls of about 52 students of the college who died in the plane crash last Saturday.
Although the principal of the college was not on hand to receive the sympathisers, they were received by the chaplain of the college.
In the condolence register, the president wrote:" The bright are taken away when they are being prepared for the roles of service to their God, the country and to humanity. May their souls rest in perfect peace."
Also speaking, the senate president said that the time has come for the Federal Government to intervene in the aviation industry with the sole aim of stabilizing it. He said the things are now, he doubts if the airliners could survive on their own.
"Looking at the environment here, you think we are in Europe. This is a citadel of learning. The probability of students here out-performing others is very very high. We are all products of our environment. We are here to condole with the Principal and the entire students of the college over the unfortunate incident.
"But one thing I can assure you is the fact that the National Assembly will do a thorough investigation with the need to have a stabilization and reform the aviation industry. I don't think any of the airliners can survive on its own. The government will wade into it even if it is in form of long term loan, we must do something, whether from our crude oil or from our foreign reserve, there is need to reform the industry.
"We pray that God will give us the courage to do the right thing to lower the propensity of these happenings. The inland waterways is in comatose, railway is not doing well. As a listening government, in no distant time Nigerians will see a change in the aviation industry," Chief Nnamani said.
Also, Chaplain of the Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, Ogoh Nweke has charged the Federal Government to explain to Nigerians the mystery existing in the country's airspace that continue claiming lives without control.
Speaking on behalf of the principal of the college whose students were involved in the DC-9 air crash in Port Harcourt, the chaplain also said that Nigerian aviation authorities owed the dead students the explanation to the problems which consumed them.
Chaplain Nweke told Senate President Nnamani who paid condolence visit to the school Monday that "these are difficult times, but we are people of faith and we believe that life exists beyond here."