The Onilisa of Lisa, Oba Oladele Najeem Ayinla Odugbemi, has renewed his appeal to the Federal and Ogun State Governments to urgently rehabilitate the Bellview Airline Memorial Arcade and its access road, nearly two decades after the tragic 2005 plane crash that claimed 117 lives.
The monarch made the call during an interdenominational prayer session held at the crash site in Lisa Town, Ifo Local Government Area, as part of activities marking this year’s Isese Day.
Oba Odugbemi expressed dismay that the memorial arcade, once a symbol of national grief and remembrance, had been left to rot. He noted that the site was now overrun by weeds and its structures severely decayed.
He also lamented the poor state of the 10.5-kilometre road linking Ogba-Iyo in Ijoko to the site through Oyero, describing it as impassable.
The monarch recalled that the road, once tarred, deteriorated less than a year after construction due to seasonal flooding.
“We are appealing to both the Federal and State Governments to restore this important site. It is not only the resting place of 117 souls—both Nigerians and foreigners—but also a national symbol of collective memory,” the monarch said.
“We have made several representations in the past. As the 20th anniversary of the tragedy approaches, we again urge urgent intervention.”
The memorial arcade, inaugurated in 2006 by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor Gbenga Daniel, houses the graves of all 117 victims of Bellview Airlines Flight 210. Many of the tombstones, once carefully erected, are now visibly eroding.
The Onilisa urged governments to officially recognise the site as a national heritage monument and develop it into an aviation memorial and educational centre.
He stressed that rehabilitating the access road would not only enhance remembrance but also boost socio-economic development in Lisa community.
Clerics who led prayers at the ceremony—including Reverend O. Emmanuel, Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and Chief Imam Musemil Junaid—joined the monarch in calling for urgent government action. Traditional rites were also performed by the town’s leading masquerade, Ajofoyinbo, who offered libations for the departed souls.
The monarch commended Lisa youths, community leaders, and security groups such as So-Safe Corps, Amotekun, and local vigilantes for clearing the overgrown site ahead of the memorial prayers.
Preparations are already underway for a major commemoration on October 22, 2025, marking 20 years since the crash.
The tragedy, one of Nigeria’s deadliest air disasters, claimed all 117 passengers and crew shortly after the aircraft took off from Lagos en route to Abuja.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that for Lisa Town, which became the final resting place of the victims, the site remains both a painful reminder of national tragedy and a test of Nigeria’s commitment to preserving collective memory.
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