Widows of military officers who died in a 1992 plane crash in Oke-Afa, Ejigbo area of Lagos State, have called on the Federal Government and the Defence Headquarters for support, stating that since the incident nearly 32 years ago, all entitlements meant for the late officers were yet to be paid to the families.
The widows ordeal started on September 26, 1992, when the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) transport plane, C-130 Hercules conveying 163 people, who were middle-ranking Army, Navy and Air Force Officers attending Staff Course at Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji in Northern Nigeria crashed about five minutes after taking off from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos.
The widows spoke in Port Harcourt during the visit of the President of Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) who is wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs. Oghogho Musa, for distribution of palliatives to wives of fallen heroes.
The distribution of the palliatives is an initiative of the Department of Civil/Military Relations (Defence) in conjunction with Office of the Wife of the CDS in commemoration of the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day (AFRD).
Oghogho, received by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division Nigeria Army, Major General Jamal Abdussalam, distributed cartons of noddles, bags of rice, beans and other foodstuff to the widows.
Speaking in her vote of thanks, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Folake Lasisi, wife of late Lieutenant Commander Lasisi of the Nigeria Navy, regretted that the entitlements meant for widows of the soldiers who died in the 1992 plane crash have not been released to the families.
Lasisi said many of the widows who were expecting the entitlements have died, calling on the Federal Government and Defence Headquarters to review the entitlement and pay same to the families.
According to her: “When you give, there is the tendency that we will ask for more and we want to ask for more. This thing is being done in remembrance of the fallen heroes. There are some points we want to make that are very cogent to us.
“We want you to help us to take our message home to the mother of the nation, the First Lady and the Armed Forces too. We want to feel a sense of belonging, even though our husbands are no longer there. We want to feel that we are still in your midst. We want to feel a sense of belonging.
“There are some things that are necessary for us to do and that is, our children. Some of them are not getting educational sponsorship. We want to look at it and do something about it. I am standing here as a representative of the widows of the Hercules C-130, plane crash on 26 December 1992. We the women, have not been given our entitlements after 31 years.
“We want to be remembered. We want them to review it and do something. Some of us have died Some of the children have also died. So please take this message so that the nation and the military will attend to our matters.”
However, the President of DEPOWA, Mrs Oghogho Musa, noted that the Defence Headquarters and DEPOWA deemed it necessary to provide the token to the widows of the fallen heroes as a show of love and commitment.
Oghogho said the Armed Forces would never forget the sacrifices made by the late military personnel in the nation building, commending the widows for taking up the challenges of their late husbands.
She said: “I want you to know that the Defence and Police Officers Wives Association holds you dear to our hearts and will always ensure that you are supported and do not feel the vacuum created by the demise of your loved ones.
“What is pertinent to note is that their names are written in gold as gallant heroes of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. At this juncture, let me join the clergy to pray for the repose of their souls. The gift to our wives, friends and mothers is a token of our love to further extend our appreciation and gratitude. Be rest assured, the Armed Forces of Nigeria shall never forget their sacrifices.”
Oghogho commended Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the President, for her Renewed Hope Initiative which she said is lifting women out of poverty, employing them to be part of the mantra of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Civil/Military Relations, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Dewu, noted that the commitment of the Armed Forces to the families of dead soldiers remained firm.
Dewu said: “I am highly honoured and privileged on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, to be with you as a family member and to extend our embrace to those who have endured the profound loss of our brave personnel.
“Today I stand before you with a sense of duty that goes beyond the battlefield, our commitment to the wellbeing of the families of our fallen heroes is unwavering and today’s event is a testament to that dedication.”
Originally published in The Guardian