20 Years After Bellview Plane Crash: Showunmi Calls On FG, Ogun Govt To Rehabilitate Lisa Road
ABEOKUTA- The Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has called on the Federal Government and the Ogun State Government to urgently rehabilitate the deplorable road leading to Lisa Village, the site of the Bellview Plane Crash of 2005, and to clear the bush that has overtaken the crash memorial site.
Showunmi, in a statement marking 20 years since the tragic incident, lamented the poor condition of the access road and the neglect that has left the crash site—where 117 passengers lost their lives—covered in weeds and largely forgotten.
“It is unfortunate that twenty years after one of the darkest moments in our aviation history, Lisa Village, which should be a national monument of remembrance, has been left in disrepair. The road leading to the site is almost impassable, and the graves of our compatriots are being swallowed by bushes,” Showunmi said.
He called on the Federal Ministry of Works and the Ogun State Government to collaborate in fixing the Lisa road and restoring the memorial site to a dignified state worthy of national respect.
“We cannot continue to treat sites of national tragedy with such disregard. The victims of the Bellview crash deserve honour, not abandonment. The government must take responsibility by clearing the area, paving the road, and ensuring the place is preserved as a heritage site for reflection and learning,” he added.
Showunmi further urged both levels of government to partner with aviation stakeholders, local communities, and civil society to develop Lisa into a proper memorial and research site that reflects Nigeria’s commitment to safety, remembrance, and compassion.
“Let Lisa not remain a symbol of neglect, but a place that reminds us of the value of human life and the need for continuous improvement in our systems,” he concluded
