By Ronke Aramide
It was a black Saturday on 22nd October 2005, when a scheduled Nigerian domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737-200 airliner from Lagos to Abuja, operated by Sucks based Bellview Airlines known as Bellview Airlines flight 210 with registration number 5N-BFN crashed in Lisa, a community under Ifo Local Government in Ogun State. The aircraft nosedived and crashed at high speed just a few minutes after take off killing all 117 people including a child on board. The plane was said to have crashed after take off for an undetermined reason but fatigue and inadequate training.
It was gathered that the investigation of the crash was hampered for lack of physical evidence on the crash site. The flight recorders were not recovered hence forensic analysis could not be conducted, making the crash the first and only flight that its black box couldn’t be traced in Nigeria.
Three days of national mourning was declared, even the National Broadcasting Commission suspended a television station for showing explicit images of the crash scene which depicts disrespect for the dead.
In response to the crash, the Federal and Ogun State Governments decided to build a memorial garden in Lisa town in remembrance and honour of the crash victims, one will naturally think God has finally smiled on Lisa to bring the sleepy town to limelight so as to enjoy social amenities like other towns in Abeokuta, but reverse is the case, as the memorial arcade is now an eye sore, neglected and abandoned since 2007 after President Olusegun Obasanjo left office.
When the incident occurred, it threw the entire country and beyond into a state of mourning but now the grief has waned to a mere flicker of sad memory by Nigerians especially the relations of the dead.
In a crash where we have the caliber of Former Managing Director of People’s Bank, Mrs Maria Sokenu, former Postmaster General of Nigeria, Mr Argungu Abubakar, Director of Research and Documentation of Nigeria Press Council, Mr.Omang Ojang, Ecowas Director of Finance, Mr. Emnanuel Quaye and a traditional ruler, who is also in the board of Directors of the National program on Immunization, Usman Umar among others aboard, one will think the tragic incident will bring Lisa to a permanent limelight, however the disaster has done little to uplift the economic and infrastructural state of the town.
The level of deploration that was met at the arcade and gardens when journalists visited on Friday 12th January 2024 was unimaginable, like the grave yard it is, the silence was disappointing, the environment unkept, the bushes from the gate have grown wildly begging for urgent attention and in stark derogatory pose to the victims’ memory.
The arcade has become the shadow of itself because the level of neglect was boldly written on the edifice. The structure which was put in place to serve as resting place for the dead and tourists centre has lost its appeal in diminishing architectural splendor, the name tags on the cenotaphs are falling off while some burnt down by fire.
To gain entrance to the sleepy community was a herculean task due to the sorry state of the road that was constructed by government during the incident to enable sympathizers and families reach the crash site. lt was gathered that the road lasted only 3 months before it eventually collapsed. Erosion had washed away the tarred portion of the road leaving it with wide ditches, the road from ijoko to Oyero, Oluke and Lisa is very devastating to the extent that commuters and drivers have shunned the axis, but for commercial motorcycles who still ply the road. While going to Lisa, we did not sight any vehicle throughout the journey except for the trucks carrying sand out of the community.
It will not be an overstatement to say the deads are crying inside the grave due to this neglect, and total abandonment.
The Olu of Lisa, HRM Oba Najeemdeen Oladele Odugbemi, said that since the exit of President Olusegun Obasanjo from office in 200, the place has been suffering a great deal of neglect, several efforts were made to get the attention of government to upgrade the site which can boost the internally generated revenue of the state, considering the influx of people far and near when the road was newly constructed, but sadly all efforts from the community proved abortive despite the fact that he has been spending his personal resources to make the place appealing.
It was gathered that anytime it rains, it is difficult for anyone to go in or come out of Lisa community because of the deplorable state of the about 10.5km road linking Ijoko to Lisa. The Kabiyesi and his subjects have always got things done through communal efforts and this goes beyond an individual.
We are calling on the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and Ogun State Ministry of Culture and Tourism to look into the fate of these beautiful souls that have served this country one way or the other, but fate kept them to Lisa today not by choice and rehabilitate the roads and upgrade the arcade. It will generate more revenue for the state and the dead will be happy having their loved ones come around to drop bouquet etc.
The memorial arcade is supposed to be a monument that should not be forgotten because of the souls that were lost there. The government owed these people, giving them a befitting remembrance every year which will eventually enhance the development of Lisa community is not asking for too much.
