![]() We plead that the state government look into the road.”Ī tourist expert, Abiola Ogundeko, said the government needs to turn the place into a historical place where Nigerians and foreigners can come to learn about history.So many unsettling details are coalescing with the resurgence of Extortion 17. ![]() It’s key to the development of our communities. Consider how many people are daily suffering on the road, and how the communities are affected. “This particular road from Ijoko, Lisa, down to Layeni serves about 21 or more villages and towns. I think you passed through the road from Ijoko to Lisa you could see the state of the road, which is quite deplorable. “Concerning our efforts to ensure that we bring that glory back to that arcade as a tourist centre, we are doing our best but you know it’s not easy for individuals to develop a very big tourist centre like that. “At the state level, after the Otunba Gbenga Daniel administration, no succeeding government has done anything up until this present moment. I believe the beauty of that centre died with the exit of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president in 2007 because as soon as Obasanjo left office and Yar’Adua took over, they threw everything into disarray, including the arcade. He said, “It is not our fault that the arcade has been neglected. He also claimed that no state government since Gbenga Daniel has done anything to resurrect the arcade. The Olu of Lisa, Najeemden Odugbemi, lamented that the beauty of the arcade died with the departure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from office. It is really bad, and it is making life hell for us. One of the residents, Tayo Badejo, said, “Three of my neighbours have moved to the urban part of the state because of the condition of the road. They lamented that they are currently in pain as the road is no longer motorable and has made residents who built houses in the affected areas go through daily agonies while plying the road. Some of the residents who spoke with our reporter lamented that the road has turned into a burden and agony for the people residing in the area. When the arcade was constructed, the Ogun State government, under Governor Gbenga Daniel, constructed the 10.5-kilometre road from the community to another road linking the village with the noisy city of Sango. Some will come with their children, spend time here, and pray at the tombstones of their loved ones. He said, “There were some of the relatives of the victims that always visited here before when it was still okay. The chairman of the Lisa Community Development Council, Sunday Akinsola, who took our correspondent round the abandoned monument, said families of the plane crash victims stopped coming because of its sorry state.Īkinsola also said tourists had once turned the place into a Mecca of sorts but stopped coming due to alleged negligence by the state government. The once beautiful scenery was now an eyesore, bringing disrespect to the memories of the victims. It was also observed that the arcade did not in any way bear the semblance of a national monument. The paint on the wall has peeled off while some of the gravestones that bore the names of the victims have already fallen off. During the visit, it was noticed that the buildings built around where the plane went down have become dilapidated and laid in ruins. ![]() Seventeen years later, the arcade has been left to rot, and the 2.7 acres of memorial ground have been outgrown by thick bushes and thorny grasses. The presence of a US military officer on the flight was also confirmed by US officials. There were also at least 10 Ghanaians, two Britons, two Gambians, and one citizen each of Germany, Mali, and South Africa. The aircraft was carrying 111 passengers and six crew members, most of who were thought to be Nigerians. ![]() After an intense investigation, the search and rescue personnel located the wreckage in a small village in Ogun State, about 50 kilometres (31 miles 27 nmi) from Lagos. Helicopters were deployed to the site where contact with Flight 210 was last made. A few minutes after the pilot, Captain Imasuen Lambert made initial contact with Lagos Approach Control, the transmission signal became unknown, and the flight was declared missing. Just like every other flight, a Boeing 737-200 aircraft took off from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, en route to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at exactly 7.30 pm on Saturday, October 22, 2005, with many prominent Nigerians on board. A Boeing 737-200 aircraft, Flight 210, operated by Bellview Airlines, crashed at Lisa, a community in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State on October 22, 2005, killing all 117 passengers on board. SODIQ OJUROUNGBE visited the community and the crash site seventeen years later, only to meet the memorial arcade reeking of neglect and decay ![]()
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