One of the highlights of the ceremony was the unveiling, by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, of two cenotaphs on which names of the victims are etched. The fresh twist to the crash is that no fewer than five persons whose names are on the cenotaph are living, while an equal number of the names of the dead are not listed.

How did that happen?

Checks reveal that at least five of those who originally booked the flight for the journey for some reasons, aborted their flight and transferred their tickets to some other persons. The latter perished in the crash. Incidentally, the names of the original owners of the tickets reflected on the manifest, with which all official references have continued to be made, including names on the cenotaphs. The implication of this is that the names of the living are now among the dead at the Iju-Ishaga Memorial Arcade Cenotaph in honour of the victims of Dana air crash.

Ironically, complaints are necessarily not coming from the living, whose names are on the memorial structure. They are coming from the relations of the dead whose names are missing on the cenotaph. Mr. Steve Abuyere said his mother, Madam Mariam Abuyere, died in the crash, but her name is not on the structure. He said the family got in touch with Dana airline and the company promised to get back to the family. According to him, there are four other names that were juxtaposed on the cenotaph.

He said: “What you have there (cenotaph) is Hurriya Lawal instead of Mariam Abuyere. We wrote letter to Dana airline to change the name and the executive of the airline promised to get back to the family. We complained to the State Government and the officials promised to look into it. We believed they made correction because we were officially invited for this event. They (government) sent us invitation. My mother’s name was written and changed on the cenotaph. They promised to make correction.”

Government sources said people in position are reluctant to comment on the issue because it is a legal matter. Strictly on legal bases, those who bought ticket from those who bought from the airline may not be recognised, except on compassionate ground.

It was revealed that the Lagos State government had contemplated giving the victims of the crash mass burial. The mangled bodies of some of the victims informed the decision. Besides, government feared that it might be almost impossible to recognise or identify the dead bodies as different body parts were gathered together in some cases.

But to get around that fear, government resorted to DNA test. According to a representative of one the families of the dead that met with Governor Fashola, they kicked against the decision to give mass burial to victims and the governor agreed that the bodies of the dead should be released to the family for proper burial after conducting DNA tests.

Dr. Ben Anyere, one of the representatives disclosed that the Lagos State government changed its position after a robust discussion with them and decided against mass burial. According to him, “Governor Fashola respected our wish. Contributions of the Lagos State Government included rescue effort when the crash occurred, paying for the DNA analysis, retrieval of dead bodies, provision of legal services, hosting families of the dead and building a cenotaph in a permanent memorial site. The State Government paid 100 per cent of the DNA test.”
Governor Fashola said when the State Government set out to conduct the DNA test, it had no idea of how much it would cost. However, he said the state government spent N22 million at the last count.

Fashola also spoke on what became of the three children of one of the ground victims he personally took away from the site of the crash. In a moving tone, Fashola told the story of the children who are now part of his family. He said: “On that tragic day, the Okuchukwu family who did not fly also shared the pain. The owner of the site of this memorial had his own share. But the story of that family I will share with you.

“Electricity had a part to play. A mother and a father in a building close to the site were spending time with their four children. The mother was plaiting the hair of the youngest child, a girl. They did not have power. Suddenly, electricity came and the whole community knew. Strangely, their flat did not have power.


“The father instructed the eldest child to get the local electrician to come and solve the problem so that they could iron their uniform in readiness for school on the next day, a Monday. The boy took some time returning, so the father sent his younger brother to go locate him. In pure innocence, the third child, a girl, followed her brother. As soon as they stepped out of the building, Dana flight 992 descended on their home. They became lost in the massive crowed. The eldest was eleven, followed by the nine-year and the seven- year old. Their parents and youngest sibling were consumed by a flight they did not board.
“I met them at the site on the 4th of June. Our paths have remained intertwined since then. They are doing well. They have become a lifetime commitment for my wife and I to ensure that their promise is fulfilled. Their origins are in Enugu State. But their home is Lagos, the home of all Nigerians, and this memorial will always remind us of how we met.”
Fashola gave assurance that if there is such disaster again in future, Lagos is better prepared to face such challenges because: “We cannot predict disaster, we can certainly prepare for it.”
He explained that one year ago, his government managed a very difficult situation as best as it could but the loss of so many lives has further compelled his government to examine and re examine the way to react to disasters.

He said: “The obligation to save lives and protect property imposes a greater duty; as a government, we have learnt some painful lessons and we have grown from them. We have now improved our response capacity, trained and continue to re-train our first responders, develop response protocols and acquired necessary equipment.

“We convened a disaster and emergency Management Summit for all the states in the South west at which we shared our experience and information. The entire incident is properly documented for posterity, with copies in the Attorney General’s office and the office of the governor.”
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Living Dead