Oh, my life is gone, says father of crash victim

By Joke Kujenya 18 hours 37 minutes ago

The late Ikechukwu and his wife on their wedding day

He got married about five years ago. But the marriage of Ikechukwu Ochonogor to Tolulope ended with the Dana Air crash.   Assistant Editor (Investigations) JOKE KUJENYA, at the wekend, met his family members

Thirty-five-year-old Ikechukwu Ochonogor was until he died last Sunday in the Dana Air plane crash an employee of FEDEX Courier Services. 
His father, Mr. Ochonogor, 67, paced up and down without speaking when this reporter visited the family home in Akesan-Igando, on the outskirts of Lagos, on Saturday. He only acknowledged greetings from guests. At a point, the sexagenarian, who was blessed with six children (four men and two women) shouted: “Oh, my life is gone...” Ikechukwu was said to be his favourite child.
His wife of about five years, Tolulope, has been extremely sad. Their two-year-old child, Binichukwu, is still young to understand what fate has befallen him.  
The deceased’s mother, simply called ‘Nma’, also 67, sat with her siblings but would not attend to media inquiry. 
Tolulope, an audit specialist, sat in one of the rooms, grief-stricken. Her mother, immediate elder sister and some other women, kept her company. 
Tolulope inaudibly acknowledged words of encouragement and admonitions. At a point, she said: “I was not close by to receive his call when he called my line shortly before he boarded the ill-fated plane on that Sunday.”
Her comments were followed by “It is well” ... “It is well” chorus. 
Then she looked up to the reporter and pleaded: “Please, talk to my sister-in-law. I can’t talk to you for now. Maybe some other time please...”
Shortly thereafter, a communion service was conducted by the youngest brother of the departed. In his admonition, Chidi Owenogor said: “There are so many things we all as human beings describe as tragedies. But they are actually great decisions of God to show us, humans, His mercy and glory. We all wanted Iyke to be here with us. But what if he had survived but maimed and becomes a burden on the entire family? So, as we sit, I want us all to know that this family is not mourning. Rather, we are here to raise our voices to God in appreciation of His goodness...” 
The  late Ikechukwu’s immediate elder sister, Mrs.  Ifeoma Dimeji-Sopeju, told The Nation: “It is rather unfortunate that as a result of the carelessness of the regulatory bodies in Nigeria, this kind of thing can happen. However, I will say boldly that my brother died a hero and if there is anything I should add, it is to say that Iyke was more than a hero. From the testimonies of the impact he made on people within his short span of 35 years of life, it has been quite overwhelming. And I want to appreciate God for that in his eventful but short life.
“I would like to say that the DANA Air management is very careless. And I say this with all sense of responsibility. It was as a result of carelessness that over 158 lives were lost in one painful swoop. And this is extremely sad. But in all things, the Bible says, we should give thanks to God. 
“Our grief has also been compounded by the procedures and protocols from the end of the Lagos State government in their approach to managing things. Whatever it was they said they are offering, I think generally they have all been insensitive to the plight of the bereaved. It is also the same story from the Federal Government’s side. The neglect has been palpable. The extent of flippancy we have experienced as families of the crash victims is also enough to crush us if not for God’s grace that is helping us to pull ourselves together. By now, Nigeria should have gone past this stage. 
“The government as a whole is taking the whole issue with levity. And it is not merely the suspension of DANA licence and services that we are talking about here; the procedure of getting their DNAs done so that we can lay to rest the pains matters more.
“Can you imagine what it means if your brother could just wake up one day to go to his office and never return? Upon that, some DANA staff, three of them, two men and a lady, came to our house on Thursday that they had come to apologise and sympathise with us and all they could bring along was an ‘unsigned’ letter from their management. We told them that they were very lucky we are a peaceful family because if it was another home; they could be lynched for bringing a letter which they claimed was from their Chief Executive and it was not signed. Are they telling us that no other official could sign on behalf of the CEO? Of course, we rejected the letter and never collected it from them. They should put themselves in our stead. They even wanted to snap my photograph so they could show either their bosses or Nigerians that they were here to apologise to us. But we did not allow any of such things and then told them to leave because they were not willing to do things properly.”
Asked to talk about his late younger brother, she said: “Ikechukwu, we all call him ‘Iyke’ was a staff of FEDEX. He had gone to Abuja on official duties and was due to return last week Sunday. In fact, he had called a few of us that he would soon join the flight and be in Lagos. Then, he tried to call  his wife, Tolulope, who was not holding her phone at the time.
“By the time she got back to the phone and saw the ‘missed calls’, she tried to call him in return. But apparently they may have been air-borne because his phone was then switched off. And that would have been their last conversation.
“And as for their compensation, we have not taken a unilateral decision on that. The reason is that as much as money cannot bring my brother back; only our parents and his wife can decide on that. However, we wish to affirm here that their compensation can never be a sufficient measure  for the kind of short but purposeful life my brother lived.
“That is why to us in this family, my brother is not dead. Our parents’ children remain six and we will never count him out. All I can appeal is that the government should make air travel safer because we don’t a repeat of this calamity in out air space, again. Never!”
The family, in a statement, said they felt insulted by Dana Air’s management.
The statement reads: “We have been insulted by the management of DANA Airlines. Their negligence cost us, the Ochonogor’s family, the life of our brother, the late Ikechukwu Ochonogor, 35, who died in the ill-fated DANA crash on Sunday, June 3, in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos. Despite our pains, all that the DANA management could do was to send some junior staff from their office to deliver an ‘unsigned letter’ to our family.
“This is unacceptable. And we are shocked that the Aviation Minister would even at this stage not wade into the human relations between DANA Air and the bereaved families of the victims.
“Is this a continuation of the bad system we will continue to fall victims to in our beloved country, Nigeria. We are, therefore, appealing to Minister of Justice to ensure that justice is given to our late brother, Ike Ochonogor, and other victims and their bereaved families.” 
The family plans to hold a Service of Songs in Ikechukwu’s memory next Saturday, whether or not his body is released by government.