Bellview crash: 15 years after, memorial arcade reeks of neglect, decay

It is now exactly 15 years after that fateful evening. There was nothing to suggest that it was an ill-fated flight. It was a scheduled flight: A Boeing 737-200 aircraft, Flight 210, operated by Bellview Airlines. It crashed in Lisa Town, Ifo Local Council Area of Ogun State, killing the 117 passengers on board.

After the crash, in response to the national outcry of pain and anguish, a Memorial Arcade and Garden and other infrastructure was put in place to mourn the departed and as a memorial for the victims. But, 15 years after, as most things in Nigeria, the facilities are in ruins out of neglect.
 
On October 22, 2005, the airplane, a scheduled passenger flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos en route Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, crashed shortly after takeoff. The flight departed Lagos at 20:35 with 111 passengers and six crewmembers on board.

Although initial reports indicated that at least half of those on board survived the crash, it was later discovered that there were no survivors. Yet, after the crash of the twin-engine Boeing 737-200 registered in Nigeria as 5N-BFN, with manufacturers serial number 22734, which was built in 1981 for Maersk Air, searchers were unable to find either the voice or flight data recorders. That actually hampered investigations and the official report was not released until February 2013.

The paints are fading as fast as the walls are cracking too, burying the fact that the place was repainted six years ago by First Nation Airline, which bought over the defunct Bellview Airlines.

Despite the visible signs of a recent weeding, the graveyard still looks unkempt. While a section of the Arcade’s floor, from the entrance towards the centre is already sinking, the floor of the backside has speeded up its cracking. Sadly too, nametags attached to the gravestones are all falling off.
 
Trying to gain entrance to the sleepy community was a nightmare due to the awful state of the road that was constructed by the government after the incident. It was gathered that the road lasted for only three months before its eventual collapse. The rainy season had made the matter worse, as some vehicles were seen stuck on the road.

Echoes Of Neglect
Sadly, unlike previous years, none of the victims’ families showed up for the memorial anniversary, just as there were no representatives from both the state and Federal Governments. Even tourists that had shown interest in the centre turned their backs on the arcade. A regular caller, Mrs. Victoria Olumekun, whose husband, Mr. Johnson Olumekun, a former Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), who also died in the crash, while on official assignment, was conspicuously absent on Thursday.

Though the conspicuous absence could be linked to the curfew imposed on some states in the country, coupled with the anti-SARS protests, some residents attributed the canny neglect to the bad state of the road, which they said discourage regular visitors to the arcade.
  
It was a nightmare getting to the site as the road constructed shortly after the crash had deteriorated. Erosion has washed away the tarred portions of the road, leaving it with wide ditches. With the raining season, the condition of the road has worsened.
  
From the Sango end through Ijoko/Ogba-Iyo, the road is devastating, to the extent that commuter drivers have shunned the axis, but for the commercial motorcycle operators who charge exorbitantly, it would have been an impossible task for anybody to get there. The roadblocks mounted by protesters aggravated the road challenges, as motorcyclists charged higher rates.
 
It will not be overstatement to say the victims are crying from the grave, due to neglect and total abandonment by the government.
 
The Amona of Lisa, Chief Adeyinka Adefunmiloye, told The Guardian at the arcade ground that the promise made by the Federal Government to make the place a tourist centre of international repute never came to fruition, noting that the place has completely been abandoned.
 
According to him, the first two years after the construction of the arcade, over 300 tourists across the country, including school children visited the place. He added that families of the victims also visit often until the road, which began to collapse few months after it was constructed deteriorated and scared visitors away.

He also appealed to Governor Abiodun to address the deplorable state of the road from Ijoko to Lisa, noting that any time it rains; it’s always difficult to pass through a river along the route. “Two people died in the river last year, despite several letters to the ministry of works no attention was given, we’ve been doing several things here through communal efforts. The access road, which connects over 21 towns and villages, should be rehabilitated.
  
“To come out of our community is a headache, to come in is a headache and the local council cannot handle this road, the government of Ogun State should remember us. It is a 10.5 Km road from Ijoko road. They should look into this critically in the 2021 budget to make life more meaning for our people.”