It has been 20 years today since the tragic crash of Bellview Airlines Flight 210 a 22 October 2005 catastrophe that claimed 117 lives and left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s aviation history. Among those killed was Alhaji Waziri Kyari Mohammed, former Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation and a brother in friendship and purpose to his colleagues and family.
As we remember him and the many others, this piece pays tribute, explores legacy, investigates what remains unresolved, and asks: how well have we honoured those lost and what lessons linger?
A tribute from Sen. Abubakar Bukola Saraki a friend of the late Alh. Waziri Kyari wrote “Waziri was someone I was privileged to call a brother. His dedication to Nigeria was matched only by his sincerity,” the message read. “Even after two decades, the pain of his passing remains very real. I pray that Allah (SWT) continues to grant him Aljannah Firdaus and to strengthen his family always. He is deeply missed.”
Waziri’s dedication to public service in rail, transport and national infrastructure reflected a rare sincerity in a world of grand promises. His life was cut short in a flight that should have been routine, a brief airborne transition between Lagos and Abuja that instead became Nigeria’s darkest domestic aviation moment.
On 22 October 2005, Bellview Airlines Flight 210, a Boeing 737-200 (registration 5N-BFN) departed Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport for Abuja at about 20:35 local time. Shortly after take-off the aircraft reportedly entered a descent and crashed in Lisa Village, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, some 14 nautical miles from Lagos. The official accident file lists all 117 passengers and crew (111 passengers, 6 crew) as fatalities.
Investigators faced major challenges: the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were not recovered in usable form, terrain and fire destroyed large portions of evidence, and looting at the scene compromised preservation. To this day, a definitive cause remains unresolved: was it mechanical failure, pilot error, weather or a combination thereof? The official report remains inconclusive.
Waziri was one of the high-profile public servants who lost his life. Others included senior officials, business figures and foreign nationals. The tragedy was not only personal for relatives, but institutional for a country striving to modernize its transport and governance sectors.
The names themselves reflect breadth: key government officials, established business persons, and academics each life representing networks of responsibility and promise. The crash thus rippled far beyond the immediate family; it was a national loss.
In the weeks after the crash, the Nigerian government declared three days of national mourning. President Olusegun Obasanjo vowed to overhaul aviation safety. A memorial arcade and garden were built in Lisa Village, inaugurated by federal and state leaders. It housed the graves of all 117, with individual tombstones and a physical locus for mourning.
However, reports over 15 and 17 years after have described the site as neglected and overgrown. In 2025, the monarch of Lisa, Oba Oladele Najeem Ayinla Odugbemi, issued renewed appeals for restoration of the arcade and access road, calling it a “symbol of collective memory” often ignored. The contrast between the solemn dedication of 2005 and present decay points to a deeper national challenge: preserving memory, not only in words but in infrastructure and institutional respect.
More than sentiment: the Bellview tragedy remains relevant for four core reasons:
The fact that the cause remains unresolved should be a red flag. The accident underscores vulnerabilities in regulation, monitoring, maintenance and recording of critical data in Nigerian aviation.
When memorials decay, it suggests neglect not only of stone and metal, but of collective value. The loss of 117 lives deserves enduring commemoration and institutional safeguarding.
The site in Lisa sits near Lagos’ expanding commuter belt. Weak road access and poor maintenance hinder not only family visits but local community development. The crash site could serve as a hub for aviation-safety education, regional tourism and remembrance yet remains unrealized.
Every victim, including Waziri, was in service or transit. When oversight fails, lives pay the price; when remembrance fades, lessons are lost. The story is not only of a crash but of a system that must elevate responsibility, transparency and human dignity.
Friends, colleagues and family of Waziri remember him for his quiet integrity and commitment to national development. “He was more than a colleague; he was a brother in purpose,” a close friend recalled. His contributions to rail reform, transport policy and institutional leadership were cut short unexpectedly.
For the other victims, the tribute is less personalized in public memory but no less profound. Each had roles, families, careers, futures. On the 20th anniversary, many relatives still gather in small remembrance events, personal prayers, and community outreach, resisting the tide of forgetfulness.
On this anniversary, we renew some key calls:
Federal and state authorities must allocate funds to rehabilitate the Lisa Memorial Arcade, maintain the access road, and formally designate the crash site as a national heritage landmark.
Ethiopian, European and U.S. aviation authorities regularly publish crash reports, enforce maintenance standards, and maintain clear black-box protocols. Nigeria should match or exceed such frameworks.
Transform the crash site into a living legacy centre with memorial, museum, visitor centre and local employment opportunities so that memory benefits as well as honours.
Every family, friend, compatriot should carry the legacy of the lost by advocating for safety, accountability and service in their spheres of influence. Remembering means acting.
Twenty years on, the loss of Alhaji Waziri Kyari Mohammed and the 116 fellow passengers aboard Flight 210 remains both a personal and national wound. Their lives spoke to service, hope and possibility; their passing reminds us of fragility and obligation.
May their memories drive us to better standards, deeper respect, stronger institutions and genuine commemoration. And may we as a nation remember not just the crash, but the lives behind the numbers; not just the memorial, but the meaning.
When memory fades, the lesson dies too. Let us ensure this does not happen. Let us mourn, reflect, act for the sake of those lost, and for the future of our nation.
