September 26, 1992, was a black Saturday for Nigeria. The country lost a generation of intelligent and vibrant young military officers not to war but to human error of a plane crash.
Air Force Plane Charlie 130 crashed at Ejigbo in Lagos killing all on board, they were mostly senior military officers on course at Jaji. A total of 200 young military officers perished in that crash, 173 bodies were recovered while 27 remain missing.
Today 22 years after the crash, what is the plight of the families of these young officers who died in action.
Late General Sani Abacha promised to compensate them, President Goodluck Jonathan on his facebook in 2011 said he was touched by their plight and made promises to come to their aid, which to the best of our knowledge has not been fulfill.
The only governor to act has been Governor Fashola of Lagos who on Thursday December 23, 2012, presented keys of a block of reconstructed six units of three-bedroom flats to widows and other beneficiaries whose husbands died in the 1992 Air_force C 130 plane crash.
Though the military accepted an out of court settlement when the widows and beneficiaries took their plight to the Oputa Panel for redress, nothing came out of the effort.
In the memorandum of agreement, they agreed to settle the families and the widows of the deceased in consonance with sections 331-335 of the Nigerian Army condition of service. With the agreement, the military would pay N15, 000 for primary school, N25, 000 for secondary school and N50, 000 for tertiary.
Only the South Western States and some Eastern States did their bit to help the families of the late military officers.
How do we encourage patriotism in this manner, why would anyone put his life on the line for the nation when he knows his family would not be taken care of after him.
Keep the conversation going, please drop a comment.
Be Sociable, Please share
No comments:
Post a Comment