Bakare: I Never Mocked Victims of 2006 Plane Crash
Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos
Founder of the Citadel School of Government and Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has explained that his remarks linking the 2006 plane crash to the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), was not aimed at mocking victims of the crash.
Addressing newsmen yesterday, the pastor described as “misconceptions and misrepresentations” his comments at the first edition of the Citadel School of Government Dialogue Series on October 4, 2025.
Bakare said his reference to the ADC was a metaphor to illustrate the challenges facing some political parties in Nigeria, not a commentary on the plane crash or its victims.
He said the ADC Airline’s crash of October 29, 2006 was one of the fatal plane crashes in Nigeria.
The ADC Airlines Flight 53, which took off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to Sokoto, crashed shortly after take-off, killing 98 passengers including the then Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido.
He stressed that the formation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the opposition coalition party chaired by former Senate President, Senator David Mark, has brought to light the tragic event of 2006.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio was recently called to order over his statement misinterpreted as mocking the victims of the crash.
Clarifying his statement, Bakare stated that his comment on Saturday, October 4, “did not in any way bring into the spotlight the victims of the October 29, 2006, ADC Airline crash,” he said.
“I pray that all those with lingering pain from that event will find complete healing and comfort,” he added.
Bakare noted that some critics had taken his words out of context and accused him of insensitivity, stating that his use of the imagery was no different from how others have employed metaphors like the “Titanic” to warn of impending danger.
“When one takes the ‘text’ out of ‘context,’ one becomes a ‘con’,” Bakare said, adding that he would not normally respond to public criticism but chose to clarify the matter for the sake of accuracy and fairness.
He also referenced Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s comment on the Senate floor, where Akpabio reportedly joked that “the ADC crashed even before it took off,” reiterating that his remarks had no political motive and were made long before the Senate exchange.
His words: “I pray that all those with lingering pain from that event will find complete healing and comfort; that God will be the Husband of every widow, the Comforter of every widower, the Father of every orphan and the Restorer of every family affected by that unfortunate event, or by any of the many other calamitous events in the history of our nation.
“I trust God to give us a nation where transportation infrastructure, whether in the air or at sea, on the road, on the rail or in the waterways, will become safe and accident-free.
“Let this undue controversy surrounding the ADC crash metaphor serve as a warning. Let every person saddled with the solemn responsibility of steering the ship of state at any level, whether local, state or national, or in any arm of government, whether the executive, legislative or judicial, learn from history and recognize the transience of power.
“For those struggling to obtain power, whether in the ruling party or the opposition, I hope they learn the lessons of history. I seriously hope that those in the cockpit of our nation’s governance, and those trying to change course midair, will see the handwriting on the wall, even when written in parables, and will commit themselves to using power as a platform for service to the people rather than for self. He that has an ear, let him hear.”
He, however, emphasised that the Citadel School of Government was an independent, non-partisan institution open to all Nigerians interested in transformative leadership.
