Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on Sunday joined the league of Nigerian bodies and individuals mourning the death of Governor Patrick Yakowa, General Owoye Azazi and four others, calling for a thorough investigation of the cause of the chopper crash in order to prevent recurrences and ensure the victims did not die in vain.
It stated that aside the rituals of mourning the victims of such tragedies and ordering a probe, the latest crash must not be allowed to go the way of the previous ones, the cause or causes of which are yet unknown, thus robbing the nation of the chance to make flying in the country safer.
It that till date, the March 2012 crash of a Police helicopter in Jos in which a deputy inspector-general of police was killed has yet to be unravelled, and that conclusions have not been made of the cause of the June 2012 crash of the Dana plane that killed over 159 people as well as series of deadly plane crashes that had occurred earlier.
“For the military, the crash in 2011 of two of the newly procured Chinese fighter jets fit into this pattern, as the cause or causes have not been unravelled, to the best of our knowledge. The crash of another military aircraft, the Nigerian Navy Augusta helicopter on Saturday must not be allowed to follow this pattern,” ACN insisted in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
“The safety of the flying public as well as our men and women in uniform must be of paramount importance to those saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safe air travels, and no stone should be left unturned in ensuring this.”
Also, General Muhammadu Buhari, the national leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on Sunday expressed “personal grief and a deep sense of loss” over the death of the governor, the former NSA and others in the plane.
“Undoubtedly, the incident is a monumental national tragedy,” stated a release signed on his behalf by Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.), CPC’s national publicity secretary. “As a mark of honour to the dead, the ceremony marking his 70th Birthday scheduled for Monday, 17th December, 2012 at the International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja is postponed indefinitely.”
The message and an apology were conveyed to Chairman of the occasion, General TY Danjuma and Guest Speaker, Bishop Matthew Hazzan Kukah.
“This is another difficult time for the nation and calls for sober reflection,” Buhari added. “He commiserates with the immediate families of the deceased, especially the government and people of Kaduna State for the great loss. May the Almighty God grant all concerned the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.”
In his condolence message, Director General of the National Orientation agency, Mr. Mike Omeri described the deaths as “great losses of the icons of united Nigeria.”
“The two men were key figures of our democracy and security as a nation and their departure has left a great sore in the heart of Nigerians,” Omeri said. “Their demise came while showing love and solidarity to their fellow countryman in grief, indicating the bond of unity that exists among Nigerians across all divides.”
He urged Nigerians to “learn from the devotion of these two great icons, both to their fatherland and to their countrymen; and emulate the spirit of patriotism they displayed while alive.”
He also prayed that “the Almighty grants the families of Yakowa and Azazi, and indeed the entire nation, the fortitude to bear this great loss, even as Nigerians take solace in their worthy examples.”
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Government has declared a three-day mourning period in honour and memory of the victims of the air crash, which occurred on Saturday, at Okoroba in Bayelsa State involving the governor, the former NSA who was also the chairman of Bayelsa State Post Flood Management Committee, their aides and two naval pilots.
“Following this declaration, all formal government engagements in the state have been cancelled, and all flags are to be flown at half-mast in all public places in the State,” a statement by Deacon Markson Fefegha, the Hon. Commissioner for Information and Orientation announced.
The state also opened condolence registers at the Government House and the State Secretariat complex in Yenagoa.
