Tambuwal, govs express shock, condole with families
June 4 2012 by Segun Olugbile, John Ameh and Sodiq Oyeleke
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, and governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, on Sunday described the Dana Airline plane crash in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos as shocking.
They also condoled with the families of the 153 victims, praying for the repose of their souls.
A statement by Tambuwal’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Imam Imam, quoted the Speaker as saying that “the unfortunate incidence came at a time Nigeria made giant strides in the area of aviation safety.”
The statement added, “This is a one off incident that should not deter Nigerians from travelling by air.”
Fashola, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, condoled with the families of victims of the air crash.
Fashola expressed shock at the incident which, reportedly, occurred as the aircraft approached the vicinity of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja.
This experience, he said, could be traumatic.
“It is unfortunate that your expectations to welcome and embrace your loved ones after their journey could be cut short so abruptly and in such unexpected manner. There is no gainsaying the experience could be traumatic,” Fashola said.
He also regretted that the incident would destabilise homes as well as cause disruption to the lives of the affected families.
The governor also condoled with residents of the crash site in Iju-Ishag, whose houses and properties were either damaged or destroyed in the crash.
He advised Lagosians against sending panicky Blackberry messages pointing out that emergency operations had been mobilised while relevant officers were on the ground to deal with the situation at hand.
His counterpart from Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha, also called on Nigerians to pray for the souls of those that lost their lives in the ill-fated crash.
The governor said this in a statement by the state spokesperson, Mr. Chinedu Offpor, on Sunday.
He said, “Nigerians should pray for the repose of the souls of those lost on board the ill fated Abuja-Lagos bound Dana air crash.”
He prayed that God would grant their families and the nation the fortitude to bear this ‘irreparable’ loss and other tragedies that had befallen the country.
Also, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, described Sunday’s twin tragedy of a commercial flight crash in Lagos and the Living Faith Church bomb blast in Bauchi State as “unfortunate national disaster of monumental proportions”.
Ahmed, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Abdulwahab Oba, said the plane crash and the Bauchi bombing called for sober reflection on the state of the country.
The Bauchi incident, the governor noted, further underscored the fact that the spate of security challenges called for collective efforts of all Nigerians to tackle as “all of us must be watchdogs and advocates for peace as security agencies cannot do it alone.”
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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