1994 was a bad year for Algerian aviation.
Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked on 24 December 1994 by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA) at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria. The terrorists murdered three passengers and their intention was to blow up the plane over the Eiffel Tower in Paris. When the aircraft reached Marseille, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a counter-terror unit of the French National Gendarmerie, stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers.
Then Air Algérie/Phoenix Flight 702P, named Oasis and registered 7T-VEE, was a Boeing 737 owned by Air Algérie and leased by Phoenix Aviation which crashed on 21 December 1994 near Coventry Airport, England killing all five on board.
Amidst all of this many will forget that in September preceding the two other tragic events there had been another deadly crash at Aguenar in southern Algeria.
But among those who will never forget that day are the former Iwuanyanwu Nationale or current Heartland players because on that fateful 18th September 1994 they lost two of their fellow players as the entire team was onboard the ill-fated jet.
Same goes for the friends and family members of the two pilots, Captain Chinedu Ogbonna and Captain Amaechi the co-pilot, and stewardess Obiageli Ezeh who also died.
Just in case you need it, here is a little insight.
Then Nigerian champions, Iwuanyanwu Nationale were returning from Tunisia where they had lost 3-0 to Esperance in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Champions (now Champions League). Demoralized and spent the contingent of airline players, officials and journalists en tow were all in low spirits and eager to get back home to Owerri and plan for the second-leg.
But to complicate things even more, the Nigerian contingent had to deal with a three-hour delay at the Tunis Airport due to stormy weather. When the chartered Oriental Airline BAC 1-11 (below) owned by the club's proprietor, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, finally took off, it had to contend with not just the early morning fog of the Sahara Desert, but as well as the huge stagnant dust cloud the storm had blow up.
With visibility at literally zero foot the pilots after circling around for almost three hours aborted the flight completely and tried to make an emergency landing at Agenat Airport, Tamanrasset in Algeria just by the Southern border with the Niger Republic.
In doing so the plane crashed into a telecom-pole, then a parked lorry and finally into a fire station where it cart wheeled and exploded.
The fact that 30 people survived the mayhem is an act of mercy and a marvel by itself. But the additional reality that there were so many prominent people, who have all gone on to play major roles in the history of Nigerian football, is another miracle.
Christian Chukwu, Coach Alphonsus Dike. who went on to coach the Golden Eaglets, former National Sports Commission Director Steve Olarinoye, Bola Oyeyode of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Amanze Uchegbulam the former NFF first vice president were all lucky to cheat death that day.
Not so lucky were Midfielder Eghomwanre Aimanmwosa, goalkeeper Uche Ikeogu who were just remembered 25 year later in events all over Owerri by Heartland FC and its current crop of players and officials. There was a march with team members holding photo banners of the deceased, prayers were said and the trucks at the Owerri Fire Service blew their horns in respect - just among other things.
It was great to see how these two departed players have been immortalized by the team and that their legacy can never be erased by the sands of time. Heartland FC has done them and everyone else proud by showing that it indeed does have a heart, and knows when and how to use it.
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