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UGWUANYI: REMEMBERING 1983 ENUGU PLANE CRASH

Published

5 years ago

September 11, 2020

By Dr. Dons Eze

It was Monday morning, November 28, 1983. The harmattan season was on the air, and the Christmas breeze had also started to blow. As usual, a lot of people were in the upswing mood, moving up and down, looking forward to the great celebration.

In Enugu Coal City, that day, many residents had gone out for their normal daily businesses. Nobody was expecting or suspecting anything untoward. Then, came a news flash on the radio: “a Nigerian Airways plane on a scheduled domestic flight from Lagos to Enugu has crashed at Emene Airport” (the outskirts of Enugu Metropolis), as it was preparing to land.

Everybody was alarmed, shocked. Those who could make it hurriedly rushed to the scene of the incident. Behold, there was the ill-fated plane, and scores of its passengers, inside what looked like an unquenchable fire, burning ceaselessly, in a cassava farm. Some frantic efforts were made to salvage the situation, to put off the inferno, all to no avail. At the end of the day, 53 people were counted dead, while the plane itself was reduced to mere rubbles. It was a black day in Enugu.

The plane, a Forker-28-2000 aircraft was carrying 61 passengers, but crashed about 3.2 kilometers, short of the airport’s runway, and caught fire immediately, after a steep approach, due to poor visibility. Fifty-one, out of the 61 passengers on board the aircraft, and two crew members, were despatched to the world beyond. It was a horrific sight, a sorrowful event, very painful, and most regrettable.

Among some notable individuals who lost their lives in that tragic incident, was Josephine, daughter of the then Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Christian Onoh. She was said to be on a humanitarian mission, trying to help some little children trapped inside the aircraft, but did not make it.

There was also Uche Offiah-Nwali, flamboyant former Anambra State Commissioner for Social Welfare, who then was a serving member of the House of Representatives. She equally perished along with her five children.

News about the plane crash sent shock waves across the length and breadth of the country and threw many people into mourning. In the former Anambra State, which Enugu was then part of, government offices were ordered closed in honor of the victims of the crash.

The then Nigerian Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, in a special radio broadcast, described the crash as one of the worst air disasters in the history of Nigeria. He said that an inquiry would be instituted to investigate the cause of the accident.

Minister of Aviation, John Nnia Nwodo Jnr., flew into Enugu, to undertake a first-hand assessment of the situation, while Transport Minister, Umaru Dikko, also visited. Later, wreaths were laid at the graveside of the mass burial of the victims by some Nigerian dignitaries. That was where everything ended, no more, no less.

As typical with the Nigerian system, the people were soon to forget everything about the Emene crash. In other words, after the noises, the hullabaloos about the crash, nobody mentioned or remembered the tragic incident anymore, not the least, those who lost their lives and a few of its survivors.

Everything died down, completely forgotten, so to speak. The scene of the crash, which incidentally was the grave of the mass burial of the victims, returned to its former usage, a cassava farm.

Now, almost 37 years after that tragic incident that happened at Emene, Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, remembered it, resurrected it, and brought it back to life, so as to honor the victims. He thought it wise that such horrific events of November 28, 1983, which brought sorrow, not only to Enugu people, but to Nigeria, and the world as a whole, should not be forgotten, obliterated, or buried in history.

Thus, shortly after the reopening/inauguration of the rehabilitated runway of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on Sunday, August 31, 2020, Governor Ugwuanyi led dignitaries that attended the event, to unveil a newly reconstructed and beautified airport roundabout with a monumental aircraft statue in memory of the 51 passengers and two crewmen who lost their lives in the Emene air crash.

The Governor also unveiled a plaque where the names of all the victims of the air disaster were clearly engraved. What a commendable effort by a man with a deep sense of history!

With the unveiling of that monument in remembrance of the Emene air crash victims of November 28, 1983, the Governor has done well in reconstructing the history of Enugu. The history of any nation, or any society, is made up of both the good and the bad, the pleasant and the despicable. You cannot leave out any of them. Without these, the history of such a society will not be complete.

Following on the heels of this monument constructed for the Emene air crash victims, however, is also the need to build a memorial arcade for the 21 coal miners who were brutally killed at Iva Valley, Enugu, on November 18, 1949, by the British colonial police, for merely demanding a marginal increase in their salary.

The Iva Valley massacre was a tonic that ignited the fire of revolution for the country’s independence. It brought together nationalist politicians from all tribes and all creeds, who formed a united front against the evils of colonialism, with Enugu as the center of the struggle.

It was the Iva Valley massacre that quickened the departure of British colonialists from Nigeria, as Nigerian nationalists began to stoke fire on them and to demand immediate independence of the country.

It is, therefore, necessary that the people who played such a significant role in the history of a nation should be appropriately honored.

By Dr. Dons Eze

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NELFUND: The Renewed Hope Engine Propelling Nigeria’s Youth into Tomorrow

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

The Gleamer

By Dayo Israel, National Youth Leader, APC

As the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, I have spent most of my tenure fighting for a Nigeria where every young person, regardless of their ward or local government, family income, or circumstance, can chase dreams without the chains of financial despair.

Today, that fight feels like victory, thanks to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Launched as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this initiative isn’t just a policy tweak; it’s a revolution. And under the steady, visionary hand of Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr, NELFUND has transformed from a bold promise into a roaring engine of opportunity, disbursing over ₦116 billion to more than 396,000 students and shattering barriers for over a million applicants.

Let’s be clear: NELFUND was always destined to be a game-changer. Signed into law by President Tinubu on April 3, 2024, it repealed the outdated 2023 Student Loan Act, replacing it with a modern, inclusive framework that covers tuition, upkeep allowances, and even vocational training—ensuring no Nigerian youth is left on the sidelines of progress.

But what elevates it from groundbreaking to generational? Leadership. Enter Akintunde Sawyerr, the diplomat-turned-executioner whose career reads like a blueprint for results-driven governance. From co-founding the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) in 2012—backed by icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina—to steering global logistics at DHL across 21 countries, Sawyerr brings a rare alchemy: strategic foresight fused with unyielding accountability.

As NELFUND’s pioneer MD, he’s turned a fledgling fund into a finely tuned machine, processing over 1 million applications since May 2024 and disbursing ₦116 billion—₦61.33 billion in institutional fees and ₦46.35 billion in upkeep—to students in 231 tertiary institutions nationwide. That’s not bureaucracy; that’s brilliance.

Sawyerr’s touch is everywhere in NELFUND’s ascent. Since the portal’s launch, he’s overseen a digital ecosystem that’s as transparent as it is efficient—seamless verification, BVN-linked tracking, and real-time dashboards that have quashed misinformation and built trust. In just 18 months, the fund has empowered 396,252 students with interest-free loans, many first-generation learners who might otherwise have dropped out.

Sensitization drives in places like Ekiti and Ogun have spiked applications — 12,000 in a single day in one instance, while expansions to vocational centers in Enugu pilot the next wave of skills-based funding. And amid challenges like data mismatches and fee hikes, Sawyerr’s team has iterated relentlessly: aligning disbursements with academic calendars, resuming backlogged upkeep payments for over 3,600 students, and even probing institutional compliance to safeguard every kobo. This isn’t management; it’s mastery—a man who doesn’t just lead but launches futures.

Yet, none of this happens in a vacuum. President Tinubu’s alliance with trailblazers like Sawyerr is the secret sauce securing Nigeria’s tomorrow. The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda isn’t rhetoric; it’s resources—₦100 billion seed capital channeled into a system that prioritizes equity over elitism. Together, they’ve forged a partnership where vision meets velocity: Tinubu’s bold repeal of barriers meets Sawyerr’s boots-on-the-ground execution, turning abstract policy into tangible triumphs. It’s a synergy that’s non-discriminatory by design—Christians, Muslims, every tribe and tongue united in access—fostering national cohesion through classrooms, not courtrooms.

As Sawyerr himself notes, this is “visionary leadership” in action, where the President’s political will ignites reforms that ripple across generations.

Why does this matter to us, Nigeria’s youth? Because NELFUND isn’t handing out handouts—it’s handing out horizons. In a country where 53% of us grapple with unemployment, these loans aren’t just funds; they’re fuel for innovation, entrepreneurship, and endurance.

Picture it: A first-generation polytechnic student in Maiduguri, once sidelined by fees, now graduates debt-free (repayments start two years post-NYSC, employer-deducted for ease) and launches a tech startup. Or a vocational trainee in Enugu, equipped with skills funding, revolutionizing local agriculture. This is quality education that endures—not fleeting certificates, but lifelong launchpads. Sawyerr’s focus on human-centered design ensures loans cover not just books, but bread—upkeep stipends of ₦20,000 monthly keeping hunger at bay so minds can soar. Under his watch, NELFUND has debunked doubts, refuted fraud claims, and delivered results that scream sustainability: Over ₦99.5 billion to 510,000 students by September, with 228 institutions on board.

As youth leaders, we see NELFUND for what it is: A covenant with our future. President Tinubu and MD Sawyerr aren’t just allies; they’re architects of an educated, empowered Nigeria—one where poverty’s grip loosens with every approved application, and innovation blooms from every funded desk. This isn’t charity; it’s an investment in the 70 million of us who will lead tomorrow.

We’ve crossed one million applications not because of luck, but leadership—a duo that’s turning “access denied” into “future unlocked.”

To President Tinubu: Thank you for daring to dream big and backing it with action.

To Akintunde Sawyerr: You’re the executor we needed, proving that one steady hand can steady a nation.

And to every Nigerian youth: Apply. Graduate. Conquer.

Because with NELFUND, your generation isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, enduring, and eternal.

The Renewed Hope isn’t a slogan; it’s our story, now written in scholarships and success. Let’s keep turning the page.

Dayo Israel is the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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