Mr. Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., has called off his 50th birthday celebration in honour of victims of a recent helicopter crash in the Niger Delta.
Soneye, who clocked 50 on October 29, 2024, announced at a praise and worship session in Lagos that he decided to cancel the celebration in memory of staff members who died in the crash.
Recalls that on October 24, 2024, a helicopter, Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5N BQG and operated by Eastwind Aviation, went down into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, during a routine flight.
Eight people were on board the flight. Six of them were passengers and two crew members, according to the NNPCL and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN).
Also, the black box, Flight Data Recorder (FDR), and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have not been located due to the challenging conditions of the operating environment.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) reports that the search and rescue team has recovered a total of four bodies.
Soneye announced: “Dear family and friends, I regret to inform you that I have decided to cancel my 50th birthday celebration, which was scheduled for November 2nd, in light of the current situation in the country and the recent tragic helicopter crash involving some of my colleagues.
“However, the ‘5 Hours of Praise’ event led by Pastor Abbey Olusanya will still take place as planned.
“I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, particularly to those who have travelled from abroad. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by this tragic incident. May God bring comfort to all those involved.”
Soneye also called on family and friends to pray for the bereaved families and that God should avert a future recurrence.
Persecondnews reports that at the praise session in thanksgiving to God, Soneye asked attendees to be upstanding and observe a minute silence in honour of the departed souls.
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