Leadership (Abuja)
28 August 2008
Governor Timpire Sylva of Bayelsa State has condoled the people and government of Spain over last week's crash of a Spainair plane which killed about 153 people.
In a condolence message sent to the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Angel Losada, the governor also empathized with the "families of the plane crash victims who suffered direct losses of their loved ones".
He said: "On behalf of the government and good people of Bayelsa State of Nigeria, I write to express my condolences to the people and government of The Kingdom of Spain over the plane crash in Madrid on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 in which about 153 people perished.
"As people united by a sense of common humanity, I would like to let you know that you are not alone in this sad moment. We share your grief over this terrible loss of human life. We also share the joy of the 26 survivors of the mid-afternoon crash of the Spanish airliner, Spanair Flight JK5022, bound for Las Palmas. We know how difficult it must be for you to bear this loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers".
According to Sylva, Spain has been a genuine friend of the Third World in time of need. He pointed out that "During the heydays of the Cold War, Spain was one of the countries whose voice mitigated the bitter conflict between the super powers and tried to give the Third World a voice".
"Your people have the same feelings and emotions as most people in the Third World, especially Bayelsa State and Nigeria. I still continue to cherish the memory of the warmth and hospitality my team and I received from the people, government and corporate organisations in your home country when Bayelsa State participated actively at the 19th World Petroleum Congress which held from 29 June - 03 July 2008.
"We know how much loved ones will miss those who died in the plane crash. But at a time like this, please accept our encouragement to draw on the strength and resilience of the Spanish spirit to put in place mechanisms that would prevent occurrences like this in the future. Such mechanisms can also be of help to Nigeria, which has equally experienced terrible air disasters in recent years", he added.
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