0
0
Today marks thirty years since the crash of ADC Airlines Flight 086, a tragedy that claimed 144 lives and left countless families, friends, and colleagues with a pain that time has never fully erased.
On 7 November, 1996, I was working with ADC Airlines at the Local Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. Earlier that day, I was among those involved in dispatching the aircraft on its journey out of Lagos. The flight arrived safely in Port Harcourt, and like many others on duty, I expected it to make its scheduled return later that evening.
It never did.
As the expected arrival time came and went, concern gradually turned to disbelief. None of us could have imagined that so many lives would be lost, or that a routine day at work would become one of the darkest days in Nigeria’s aviation history.
Today, my thoughts are especially with my dear friend and colleague, Bunmi Dada.
Bunmi was a Traffic Officer with ADC Airlines and was well on his way to greater responsibilities within the company. His knowledge of the aviation industry was remarkable, and he was respected by colleagues across the airport community. More importantly, he was a genuinely good man, warm-hearted, cheerful, generous, and full of life. He had that rare ability to make people feel at ease, and there was hardly anyone who knew him who did not like him.
His wedding was just around the corner, and he had every reason to look forward to the future.
Before travelling to Port Harcourt, Bunmi and I spoke as colleagues and friends often did. He left expecting to return that same day. In fact, he handed me the keys to his car, confident that we would see each other again when the flight got back to Lagos.
Neither of us knew that would be our final goodbye.
As I remember Bunmi today, I also remember that he was not the only colleague I lost. The pilots, cabin crew, and other members of the ADC family who were on board were people I worked with. We greeted one another daily. We shared the same workplace, the same responsibilities, and the same commitment to serving our passengers. They were more than names on a crew list. They were friends, colleagues, and members of a close-knit professional family.
When they left for duty that day, none of us imagined it would be the last time we would see them.
Thirty years later, I can still picture the aircraft, the airport, the familiar faces, and the routine activities that seemed so ordinary at the time. Looking back now, those memories carry a significance none of us could have understood in that moment.
My prayers today are with every family that lost a loved one in that tragedy. I also remember those who, even after three decades, continue to seek answers and closure. For them, and for many others, the wounds have never completely healed.
May the souls of all who lost their lives on ADC Flight 086 continue to rest in perfect peace.
May God comfort the families they left behind, strengthen those who still grieve, and grant eternal rest to every passenger and crew member who never made it home.
And to my friend, Bunmi Dada:
You are remembered.
Your friendship is remembered.
Your laughter is remembered.
Your kindness is remembered.
Thirty years have passed, but you have not been forgotten.
11 Nov1996 – Forever Remembered.
Forever Missed. ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏
Olayinka Oketikun lives in London.
SB E-news Efficiency
About the Author
