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| Laying a wreath at the memorial for the Dana Air crash victims. |
The news spread like wildfire; chaos was on the horizon. I remember my family scrambling to figure out who we knew that may have been on the flight. We had a neighbor who was supposed to fly the doomed MD-83. We frantically called his phone and sent him blackberry messages to see if he yet drew breath. First we heard about 100 people had lost their lives. Then 153. Then an estimated 163 people, including those on ground. The toll of the Dana victims kept rising, like transportation fares. Luckily, our neighbor had decided to take a later flight. Others were not as fortunate.
I stayed awake, restless that night. I couldn’t sleep. I had been visiting Nigeria, like many others on that plane, and couldn’t help but wonder, “it could have been me”. The next morning, the comments started rolling in. “Dana has never cared about our safety”. “This is Nigeria, no value for life; anything goes”. “Dana has been a time bomb waiting to explode”. I recall having a conversation with one of my cousins who had been allowed to travel on a local flight without a functioning seatbelt. I remember thinking “Wow! That would probably never happen in Ghana or South Africa”. I started to wonder if there was an avenue for Nigerians to share these kinds of information, thus enabling people make informed decisions.
Two days after the crash, I saw myself in front of my little computer starting a blog: ReviewNaija. Prior to the crash, I had never considered blogging. I thought it a good pastime and checked out different blogs from time to time, but never imagined I’d be running one. My initial aim with ReviewNaija was to create an avenue for Nigerian residents, regardless of “class”, to share their experiences dealing with organizations in Nigeria.
To the victims of Dana air crash:
About this time last year, you all departed from this earth. You will forever be remembered by your family, friends, and loved ones. I’m sure they miss you dearly. I will also forever remember you all as the propelling force for ReviewNaija.
Continue to rest in the Lords bosom…