The Ifesowapo Consultative Forum, a consortium of 32 communities surrounding Lisa Town and its environs in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, has announced plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Bellview Airlines plane crash, which claimed 117 lives at Lisa village on 22 October 2005.
The announcement was made during a strategic meeting of community representatives, where Dr Fola Abati, chairman of the Forum, outlined preparations for what he described as a truly memorable and meaningful event.
According to Abati, the commemoration will include inter-religious prayer sessions, an aviation safety lecture, and outreach to families of the victims. Government officials, aviation stakeholders and members of the international community are expected to participate in the remembrance. To ensure wider participation, the memorial event will be live-streamed, enabling those outside Lisa, across Nigeria, and in the diaspora to join in the tribute.
‘The 20th Memorial Anniversary is not merely about looking back with sorrow. It is about using history to inspire progress. We owe it to the victims, their families and to ourselves to ensure that Lisa is not remembered only for tragedy, but for resilience and renewal,’ Abati remarked.
He recalled that the crash, which drew global attention to Lisa and its environs, led to the construction of the Lisa Memorial Arcade by then President Olusegun Obasanjo and Governor Gbenga Daniel, with promises of sustained development. Two decades on, the once symbolic arcade has been left to deteriorate, while the 10.5-kilometre Ijoko-Oyero-Lisa access road remains in a state of disrepair.
Abati emphasised that the anniversary will serve as a renewed call for urgent government’s intervention. Restoring the Lisa Memorial Arcade, he said, would honour the departed with dignity, while rehabilitating the access road will ease the daily burden of thousands of residents who commute between Ogun and Lagos.
He further stressed the need for the site to be recognised as a national heritage landmark, and for the long-envisioned aviation tourism centre to be established-preserving memory and inspiring future generations.
The forum also acknowledged the efforts of the Deputy Chief Whip of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka, whose intervention at the Awela River axis facilitated the construction of a flyover bridge. This singular project, Dr Abati noted, has significantly reduced the annual loss of lives caused by flooding in the area.
In addition, the forum commended His Royal Majesty, Oba Oladele Odugbemi for his enduring commitment to the welfare of Lisa and its neighbouring communities. His leadership in matters of security, infrastructure and government engagement has, they affirmed, kept the voice of the region alive in the corridors of power.
The 20th anniversary observance is scheduled for October 22.