With the days left for Governor Rochas Okorocha to say goodbye from office reducing, Trumpeta recalls that the promise made by the State Chief Executive to families of Dana Air crash may not be afterall realized before he quits.
It would be recalled that on June 3, 2012, a Dana airline crashed and killed not less than 200 passengers on board. The ill fated airline that crashed in a Lagos suburb has about 33 Imo indigenes including a former Vice- chancellor of Federal University of Technology, FUTO, Prof Celestine Onwuliri.
Worried by the incident, the Imo State Governor described it as shocking, painful and a great loss to the State, and a moment of sorrow for all Imolites. Consequently, he reportedly promised to give the families of the affected victims the sum of N50m each as a form of consolation.
Apart from the promise of the N50m, which the family is yet to receive, the state government through the governor also indicated interest to sue owners of Dana Airline over the death of the 33 indigenes of the state involved in the crash.
Okorocha made the plan known during an inter-denominational memorial service for the victims in Owerri. He directed the then Deputy Governor and Attorney General, Mr Jude Agbaso and Soronnadi Njoku respectively, to commence action on the matter immediately.
The governor also announced during the period that a Memorial Park would be built in the State in honour of the victims, saying many Nigerians had lost their lives through avoidable air airships.
Trumpeta learnt that apart from money released for the burial of Prof Celestine Onwuliri for burial, other families are yet to get any money promised them. Most of the victims families who were reached for confirmation claim that nothing has been heard from either Okorocha or the Imo State government over the promise adding that it was an unfair treatment.
A family member who offered to speak in anonymity said “in as much as we have forgotten that sad incident, the governor failed to fulfill his promise six years after. It is sad he can’t match words with action”.
