NIGERIAN PROFESSOR, PIUS ADESANMI, AMONG ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
“The Carleton community is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Prof. Pius Adesanmi, who was among the 18 Canadians killed in today’s crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet at the Addis Ababa airport,” a statement from the university said.
The President and Vice Chancellor, Benoit-Antoine Bacon noted, “Pius was a towering figure in African and post-colonial scholarship and his sudden loss is a tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and loved him, and with everyone who suffered loss in the tragic crash in Ethiopia.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Pauline Rankin also wrote, “the contributions of Pius Adesanmi to Carleton are immeasurable. He worked tirelessly to build the Institute of African Studies, to share his boundless passion for African literature and to connect with and support students. He was a scholar and teacher of the highest calibre who leaves a deep imprint on Carleton. A further tribute about Adesanmi’s leadership and many contributions to the Carleton community will be shared as soon as possible.”
Penpushing recalled that the management of the airline had earlier released the flight manifest showing the countries of origin of the 149 passengers on board, while one Nigerian was confirmed to be among the passengers.
It is, however, believed that the Nigerian Professor travelled with his Canadian passport, an indication Nigeria lost another citizen in the crash, while other nationals in the plane included 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese, 8 Americans, 7 Britons, 7 French citizens, 6 Egyptians, 5 Dutch citizens, 4 Indians and 4 people from Slovakia.
Penpushing also reports that, the Ethiopian Airlines, management said the ill-fated aircraft B-737-800MAX with registration number ET- AVJ took off at 08:38 am local time from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and lost contact at 08:44 am.
The airline was on a scheduled service from Addis Ababa to Nairobi before getting involved in the crash around Bishoftu (Debre Zeit),and following the said development, Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302/10 March, which claimed the lives of 149 passengers and 8 crew on board, Ethiopian has teamed up with all stakeholders concerned to conduct forensic investigations and identify the identities of the victims.
Penpushing further reports that the airline in a statement said it has launched an investigation, explaining that, “a committee comprising of Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, and Ethiopian Transport Authority has been set up to carry out the investigations. Once the identities of the deceased are identified, their bodies will be delivered to their families and loved ones’.
“Ethiopian Airlines has already contacted the families of the victims to inform them of the tragic accident. Investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the accident, in collaboration with all stakeholders including the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other international entities”, the statement added.
However, in view of the sad development, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, has instructed that,the flag of the United Nations(UN) should be flown at half-mast on Monday in memory of the United Nations Personnel killed in the crash
Penpushing also reports that, the directive as contained in a statement by Hans Grohmann, Protocol and Liaison Service, emphasized that, ’all offices and duty stations are requested to lower their flags on this occasion’
