Agagu Plane Crash: Mimiko Mourns, Declares 3 Days Praying, Fasting

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Lagos, Latest Headlines, News Friday, October 4th, 2013

The African Examiner,

Gov. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state, Nigeria

In the aftermath of Thursday’s plane crash in Lagos, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has declared three days praying and fasting in the state as he mourned the loss of government officials in the tragedy.

The Ondo State Government lost its Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Deji Falae and some other government officials in the plane crash which claimed the lives of 13 people in the Associated Airline plane.

Mimiko described the crash as tragic as it had thrown the entire state in to mourning, saying the tragedy represented a trying time in the history of Ondo State.

The governor, in a statewide broadcast on Friday stated that few weeks ago, when the news of the death of Dr. Segun Agagu filtered in, the state was shocked and that the government declared seven days praying and fasting then.

“We also set up a burial planning committee to work in conjunction with the family, with a view to giving our departed former Governor a befitting state burial. The committee which comprised top officials of our government and key family members left nothing to chance in giving the deceased a worthy burial.

“In line with the burial plans, we waited anxiously to receive the corpse in Akure, when we heard the sad news that the aircraft bearing his corpse with other top government officials, some eminent Nigerians and close family members had crash-landed in Lagos shortly after takeoff.

“It was shocking and very unsettling. It is particularly saddening that not only did this turn of events alter our original plan for the burial, it also caused us additional losses with the death of four top officials of the State and some other Nigerians who were on board the aircraft,” he lamented.

The governor said in the light of the above, the state government is declaring three days praying and fasting to begin on 5 October, 2013, while he commiserated with the bereaved and prayed that the state would never experience such a tragedy again.