President Obasanjo's Broadcast on Bellview Plane Crash and Stella's Death

Fellow Nigerians

In the past 48 hours, Nigeria has been in mourning.

The successes gained in the first six days of last week that included the seem to have been overshadowed by the tragic' incident of the Bellview aircraft crash at Lissa in Ogun State and the sudden death of my dear wife, Stella while on holiday and without noticeable illness.

The two tragic events touched me personally and touched almost every family in Nigeria especially those that had relations, friends, acquaintances, associates, co-workers, and loved ones among the victims of the air crash. I believe that the accident must have' impacted on many lives in unexpected ways.

My condolence goes to the families of nonNigerians who were victims of the air crash.

My brothers and sisters, let me assure you that I personally feel and share your sorrow and pain. I can imagine positive plans that have become suddenly terminated. That is our family experience in the demise of the mother of our own household. I can see hopes for' the future that have unexpectedly receded into seemingly unattainable horizons. The nation shares in this moment of grief and our prayers are with you.

Let us take solace in the fact that only God, our Creator understands the reasons for everything. We cannot because we are limited in vision and comprehension. God never makes mistakes and has a plan for everyone. We must be strong and never give Satan the opportunity to negate our faith, corrupt our souls, and divert us from the strong bonds of unity and love that bind us together as a people.

Fellow Nigerians, this is the time to come together, grief together, console each other, strengthen our faith, consolidate our hopes and rededicate ourselves to the cause of our country and humanity. Those who have lost their lives may not be with us physically, but you can be rest assured that they are with us in spirit and would want us to be strong at all times.

I appreciate the outpouring of condolences, sympathy, visits and solidarity from all quarters in the country and from outside the country. I believe that this adversity should strengthen our resolve to remain committed, strong and unshaken in our effort to make Nigeria a great country that God has created to actualize her potentials. We are already on the path to greatness through our comprehensive reform agenda; we must not waver or get diverted, distracted, confused, or discouraged.

We must draw strength form this adversity and show to ourselves, communities and the world that we are a people with a goal and with the will to put our past behind us and move forward together.

While I take this opportunity to thank all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have expressed condolences and are observing the period of national mourning, I will also implore Nigerians to redouble our efforts along the lines of implementing our reforms, the result of which are becoming obvious.

I also wish to, as a mark of respect to the memory of all those who lost their lives on the night of Saturday to Sunday, the 22nd and 23rd of October 2005, implore all Nigerians wherever they may be on Wednesday the 26th of October 2005, at mid-day, to stop whatever they may be doing wherever possible, maintain a one minute silence and pray for the repose of the souls of the departed, the comfort and consolation of the bereaved, and for peace, security and protection of our dear country. The Ogun State Government has been directed to organize an Inter-Faith Memorial Service at the site of the crash on Thursday the 27th of October 2005.

I have already ordered a full and thorough investigation into the cause of the air crash with a view to ensuring that this sort of calamity does not repeat itself. In addition, I have directed the Aviation Ministry to ensure strict compliance with maintenance and operations requirements and standards for all aircraft in order to plug loopholes and ensure passenger safety. We must draw strong lessons from this experience and we shall leave no stone unturned to ensure the highest standards in the aviation industry.

I pray that God will give us all the inner strength, peace of mind, and capacity to bear the losses that we have experienced and empower us to come out of this situation, stronger, .more united, more determined to love one another, and closer to God in all that we speak and do.

Thank you and may God continue to bless and protect Nigeria.