1966 plane crash

To those who lost their lives

It was in the year 1966. The year of the plane crash.

It was also the year of the coup d'état when the coup plotters attacked Kaduna, Ibadan and Lagos leading to the death of many soldiers and civilians which in turn caused the civil war.

On the 7th of November of this said year, Nkechi, Chukwuka's sister was first to tune in to the afternoon news on NTA. She was first to call papa and mama. Papa and mama in turn called Chigozie, their son's wife to confirm if he listened to the prophet. If he didn't go later go for the SPE conference in Presken hotel in Lagos.

Now Chukwuka was a petroleum engineer in the shell petroleum development company of Nigeria. He was to be deeply involved in writing the minutes of the meeting which was a very important task that period. Therefore, nothing was going to stop him. Not a prophet's prophecy. Nothing.

Chukwuka had clearly told his parents that he won't be adhering to any prophet's advice on the premonition that he would die.

He was a very stubborn man who never believed anyone could have a fore knowledge of what could happen in the future. He had called a few minutes before he got into the plane about his proud defiance. He told them that he would prove them wrong and he would come out on the other side alive and unscathed.

They believed their son because he had once disobeyed the order of a soldier controlling the traffic.

He was flogged on the hot coal tarred road mercilessly with his children watching from the window of their Peugeot 504 car.

So when he told them he wouldn't be adhering, papa and mama knew but they needed a sort of negation. A miracle best describes it. They wanted a " he didn't later go" and then a sigh of relief.

However they got the opposite through the phone call. Chigozie herself was in tears"papa ,I'm finished" and papa and mama came undone. They say it's what you trust in but don't get that keeps you going. So Chukwuka's strong defiance will be what will keep them believing that he would come out untouched. However, there was a doubt- a bit of shilly shally in that belief.

"Investigators have determined that the primary cause of the accident was due to air traffic control error. The pilot's decision to continue his turn to a certain heading and his erroneous maneuver in evading from an incoming traffic which ultimately led to the loss of control of the aircraft "

The correspondent's stoic face angered Nkechi. She needed a hint as to how bad it was but she wasn't getting any and she resented the reporter for it.

Exasperated, she grabbed her car keys and left for Ejirin, near epe.

Back at home, the atmosphere was charged with fervent prayer. Mama and Papa rallied relatives from near and far for an emergency virtual prayer session.

They all joined a zoom call united in their plea for Chukwuka's safety.

Nkechi on getting to the place was devastated when she heard the full story.

How the collision avoidance system alerted the pilot three times and with the last warning "descend, descend turn left" the plane fell from 12000 feet into the lagoon in 12 seconds.

She learnt that all 144 passengers died and there were no survivors. She also learnt that two caskets was all that was needed for the remains.

Nkechi in pain and tears hit the steering wheel of her car repeatedly. Like it would relieve her of the pain she was feeling. Or in a way bring back her beloved and stubborn brother Chukwuka. After five hours, she drove back to Queens college, Sabo Yaba where she stayed in the boys quarters. Climbing the tenth floor building was a huge task and so she sat on the staircase sobbing and thinking about what should not have been.

Mama and papa, uncle Kanayo, Uncle Isioma and aunty Chidiebube prayed vigorously until uncle Kanayo stopped the prayer session to relay the news his wife had just given him. The no survivor part.

Papa did not cry. Mama simply rolled on the ground screaming "my son ooo"

And just then Chukwuka opened the door of the bungalow in port Harcourt.

"Chenekeee" uncle Kanayo screamed with beads of sweat from the vigorous prayer session and he stepped back from his phone. Papa whispered the words "blood of Jesus" but mama ran to hug her son.

Chukwuka explained to everyone including Nkechi connected through that same intended prayer session how he didn't later go for the trip.

He thanked his wife profusely for giving him palm oil beans with diced Pomo and smoked fish as breakfast instead of the usual cornflakes he usually preferred. He narrated how he had to use the toilet three consecutive times in the airport and how that made him miss his flight.

Chukwuka will later be an ardent prayer warrior and when someone tells him that something bad will happen, he will not go to work for the next one month.