Sosoliso air-crash: Tears still flowing 10 years after

A crowd had gathered to welcome the queen of hearts and marriage counsellor, Bimbo Odukoya, who was billed to grace a church programme on ‘Singles and Married’ which began in the ‘Garden City’ that same Saturday. At the same time, many parents had come to collect their children coming from the Layola Jesuit College, Abuja, on vacation in Port Harcourt. They were all waiting impatiently for the flight that had already been delayed.

At about 1.50pm, someone noticed a plane arriving and the information desk also announced the approach of the flight to the relief of the waiting crowd.

Then, a twist of fate, and the story changed. From the same speaker announcing the approach of the plane came an announcement that the plane had crashed.

A witness had observed that the weather was very hot few moments before the arrival of the plane, but suddenly, the weather changed as a drizzle followed immediately. Many prayed that the plane should have landed before the sudden change.

Within one minute, lightning and thunder flashed across the sky and seemed to hit the plane which was taxiing on the runway, and split the aircraft into two, spilling the passengers and luggage on the tarmac. It was later said that the plane hit a ditch and cut into two.

The engine and cockpit of the plane were seen at the early section of the runway while the main body was thrown about 400 metres away. The movement of emergency vehicles and personnel must have alerted the crowd and soon, the bad news came off the public address system. And pandemonium took over.

In the past 19 years, Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State and the Gulf of Guinea, suffered two major air tragedies that shook the city and caused endless heartaches for decades. On November 7, 1996, a crop of middle class breadwinners and professional people mostly from the oil industry boarded an ADC flight to Lagos. One hour later, the city was shook at news of the crash at Ejigbo near Lagos, and many families began mourning to this day. The crash shaved off a crop of rising stars across professional fields, mostly engineers. That was where the intellectual powerhouse and rising voice of the Niger Delta, the Political Science professor, Claude Ake, perished.

Nine years and one month later, December 10, 2005, the next reigning airline, Sosoliso, in-flight OSL-1145, which left Abuja, crashed at the Port Harcourt International Airport in Omagwa, near Port Harcourt. In it were 108 Port Harcourt-based personalities or those with family ties in the Garden City. The shock was the shaving off of a generation of brains from the Jesuit College in Abuja returning home for Christmas in the south-south and east, now termed ‘60 Angels’. The crash also consumed the famous queen of hearts, Bimbo Odukoya. Only survivors were Odukoya’s personal assistant and Nkechi Okwuchi, a student (from Imo State), who just graduated and works in the US.

Between these two air crashes, Port Harcourt seems to weep forever.

It was common for airplanes to fall off the sky 10 years ago. Apart from ADC, there was the Bellview crash that wiped off important Nigerians including the Sultan of Sokoto, there was the military air plane that killed all 13 Army Generals on the way to Obudu, and many more. The regulatory environment was so weak that maintenance was disregarded, C-Check (comprehensive check) seemed optional, in-flight behaviours were not checked, inter airport radar monitoring was not done, procedures were not enforced, insurance cover was often faked, etc. Most of these have been addressed because of the huge insurance compensation involved in crashes and threat of de-registering Nigeria. The issue of age of air planes operating in Nigeria caused scandals. Nigeria was forced to act. Now, the country’s air space has been upgraded.

This cannot be all. The aspect of rescue readiness seems not to have been treated much. When Sosoliso crashed in 2005, rescue readiness was next to zero. The airport had no assisted landing instruments to help out during bad weather, the plane had given several noisy signals in previous flights, according to frequent flyers then, and the fire fighters that came had no water. The pilot was seen still alive, crawling out of the fire until he gave up. Then, 10 of the 12 survivors that got to hospitals in the town still died due to lack of everything. The so-called FG medical installations in the garden city allegedly refused to accept even the corpses except money was paid in advance. There seemed to be no sense of national emergency, yet, nobody was sanctioned. It was the personal intervention of the then state governor, Peter Odili, moving cash here and there, that brought some action. Institutionally speaking, nothing worked then, nothing has still worked, parents said. Instead, Port Harcourt airport just won the inglorious award as ‘worst airport in the world’.

Odili was so worried about the state of that airport then that he put down N2billion (loan) to the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to build new runways and upgrade other facilities. The Goodluck administration was to begin rebuilding project of all international airports in Nigeria but this got stuck until Goodluck Jonathan left. The airport formed part of the mudslinging by his kinsmen and detractors during his crashed second term bid. The abandoned project is now staring Jonathan’s critics who are now in power in the face.

The regulatory decay apart, the worst outcome of the 2005 crash was the seeming insensitivity of the powers that be, those elected to look after the masses. Apart from the N60m Odili gave to the 60 parents to help out during the trauma; the insurance remedy became another scandal. Help seemed dry. Five years later, the traumatised parents led by the then chairman of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA 12/10), Isaac Okemini, were still in court with the FG and Sosoliso over everything. Every single official institution seemed to turn against the parents but curiously in support of those who crashed the plane. A parent said at a point, the judges showed serious hostility, asking if the parents wanted to make money with the deaths of their children. They said the FG failed to show up in court for once, frustrating the hearing in many ways. In fact, they said to this day, they were never allowed to see the accident investigation report (AIR, or the message in the Black Box).

Reacting, Okemini said they were forced to withdraw the case (to settle out of court) because all avenues for a citizen to seek redress failed. Okemini warned that as long as Nigeria continued to treat AIRs shabbily, the skies must never be safe because officials would continue to cover their tracks.

The story of the crash was a journey in heartbreak. Each family had tearful tales, including the family that lost all their three children. There was the story of the 14-year-old girl (Linda Chidubem Njoku) who told her parents she wanted to go to the moon. She died in the air.

After five years in 2010, Okemini said he wondered if he was wrong to send his last child to far away Abuja for schooling; Athan Njoku (Linda’s father) wondered if his daughter’s excessive brilliance was good omen after all; Joseph Ajilore (father of Oluwole) still cries for change in the aviation industry; Ubani Nkaginieme, father of Ubani Jr and Chioma, wondered if her dear daughter would still be an Olympic medallist as she craved for (was already sprinting sub 13 secs); while Ngozi Uzochukwu (mother of Uzodimma) still wants her son to come eat the takeaway she picked for him due to hunger caused by the delay of the flight from 10 am to 1pm.

These parents say they cannot forget the experience of crowding at the airport waiting for their wards, only to watch them die in a ball of fire, just because of the incompetence of a system. They say they still feel the acrid odour that poured out of the tarmac to announce the doom after the crash.

Okemini may be working hard to convince the 55 parents involved in the 60 angels’ deaths to end the mourning after the 10^th year, and move ahead. “The more we gather to weep, the deeper it hurts,” he told BDSUNDAY. The monuments and other institutional actions may replace the gathering and joint-weeping. The values, the reforms and the promotion of education may take over the legacy issues.

While the government seems to break the hearts further, individuals may be doing their best to mend them. Odili showed the greatest outpouring in cash and in kind; the Ilabor family that lost all three children has set up foundation for them; Basil Omiyi (first Nigerian CEO of Shell Nigeria) headed a fund raising team; and the only surviving student, Nkechi Okwuchi, has resolved to replace all the dead children in the hearts of the 55 parents. Hear her Orsu, Imo-born brain: “I feel there’s a lot of feeling to better things but I feel that the plans are delayed. Yes, I believe it is time to move on even though incident like this is hard to forget. We were 109 passengers on board the plane; there were five crew members. I was among 12 initial survivors from my school. I didn’t understand how come everyone else passed away. I wanted to live my life in support of the people that passed away. Ten years after, I feel I’m doing everyone proud. Now, I’m working in an NGO in America as an analyst. Also, I have plans to do my Masters Degree”.

Okemini sealed the floodgate of tears thus: “Out of the beauty of our pain, we now have this. We no longer go to Abuja. Our appreciation goes to Nkechi Okwuchi. My daughter would have been 23 now. To government of Nigeria, we don’t want a repeat of this. We don’t want to talk about the pains caused by incompetence of people that manage airport. Government should ensure competent people man the aviation industry. We urge parents to close chapter of mourning. Its 10 years, the scar may be there but it’s time to move on. I appeal to all and sundry to support the school”.

Apart from the N60million to the parents, Odili had consulted them to know how best to immortalise the angels and they chose a school exactly like Loyola Jesuit College (LJC) to be built in Port Harcourt so young brains in the region would not need to fly every time to Abuja. The governor liked the idea and donated about N300million for a start and gave the land. Years after, the school could not take off. It was learnt that the area was a drainage passage and would not only cause harm to the city but would need huge sums to build. The next governor (Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi) gave another parcel of land (21 hectares) at Aluu in Obio/Akpor section of the state capital, near the UNIPORT.

According to the Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus, the very reverend father, Jude Odiaka, the area has swallowed almost N1billion to build only 11 out of the 26 proposed buildings needed to meet the Jesuit international standards.

Tragedy (the civil war) drove the Jesuits out of Port Harcourt and another tragedy (plane crash) brought them back. According to Odiaka, the group came to the Garden City (Ozuoba area) in 1965 but had to flee in 1966 leaving behind their quarters. Now, the immortalisation scheme of the lost angels drive them back to build an international school (primary and secondary for that matter) in Port Harcourt.

Right from the road, the towering monument to etch the 60 names welcomed visitors. It was unveiled by the vice president (Yemi Osibajo) who was represented by the minister of state for aviation (Hadi Sirika) who was also represented by the Akinyele Caulcrick, rector/chief executive officer, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria. Speeches were made and a mass was celebrated. The school would write the Junior WAEC in 2016.

The ceremony started at the VIP lounge of the airport where the Vice President was awaited. The college authorities and the parents of the dead students now referred to as “The 60 Angels” embarked on ‘Candlelight Procession’ in honour of the deceased.

Declaring the Procession open, the reverend, Emmanuel Ugwueje, President, Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, said: “We are here to remember 60 students that were going home for Christmas on December 10, 2005 but met their tragic end in this Airport. We are remembering the circumstances that led to their tragic death and to say that every Nigerian’s life is great and needs to be safeguarded. We are thanking God for the only survivor, Nkechi Okwuchi, who is here today with us”.

They wore white T-shirts with the inscription, “Remembering our 60 Angels” even as they marched on and displayed their candlelight. Prayers were a flood, especially the only student survivor.
Speaking at the event, Akinyele Caulcrick (Rector /Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria), stressed that Sosoliso Airline and the real sector won’t forget the incident, adding that lessons have been learnt and efforts made to reposition the aviation industry. He prayed that the souls of decease would rest in peace.
Later in an interview, he insisted that measures have been taken to forestall such tragic occurrences in the aviation industry.

Okwuchi, who is now working with a Non-Governmental Organisation in America as an analyst, told journalists: “I’m here to identify with the parents”.

The chairman of 12/10 Parents Association of the college (Isaac Okemili), while fielding questions from journalists on whether adequate compensation had been paid to the parents with respect to the damage they incurred as a result of the tragic death of their children, said, the emphasis was not on compensation.

He expressed regret in the manner in which air crash investigations were shrouded in secrecy. According to him, “We don’t have copy of the report of the investigation of the crash”.

He pointed out that airline business should not be for every Dick and Harry.  “Federal Government must ensure compliance with regulations and provide required technical infrastructure”, he said. Okemili advised that competent hands must be engaged in manning airlines.

He gave a reminder that air crashes were no respecter of any person as it could claim anybody, including the highly placed in society. He opined that no one knows whose turn it could be next.

The school pleaded for those who pledged support and never fulfilled it to do so. The event was used to launch for funds. The current PTA chairman, Martin Okonkwo, kicked off with N1million and others followed. Yet, the amount seemed to be peanuts compared to the needs there. He said: “This is raising money for a school which is also going to be for the Boys’ Hostels. These children did not die in vain. This school, Jesuit Memorial College, is a child of circumstance”.

The lesson to learn is that public officers must be held accountable for actions in office and decisions must be audited, not just money stolen. We must also learn to treat the emotions of others with respect and give life more value in this country. The rule of law must be applied at all times, if we must save Nigeria.