December 10, 2005: As My Sister Uloma's Remembers It...

I was still doing my MBA at Lagos Business School. It was a Saturday morning. First time Ugochukwu was coming home from school and I could not go to the airport to pick him, because I had to be in school.

So Chidi, my husband, went to pick him. I finished my lectures by about 12pm and was rushing back to the house when Chidi called me, asking if I had heard anything from LJC. In my usual breezy manner, I said yes, I knew the children were all back. Chidi said, 'No, no. Have you heard anything from Ijeoma?’

'Ah ah, there is nothing to hear. Kechi is heading back just as Ugochukwu is heading back.' And he dropped the phone.

I got back to the house and noticed that he was very uneasy. And then he told me to call Dad because there was something about Kechi's plane not having landed, and I was very irritated because I did not understand why he did not have the whole message.

But I called Ije anyway, and Ijeoma announced to me in a very uncomplicated manner that 'there has been a plane crash and Kechi is dead'.

I did not recognize who I became. I remember throwing myself on the floor. I had seen and heard of people doing this and I always felt, 'come on'. And then I started rolling myself uncontrollably on the floor around my room, yelling at the top of my voice.

I remember the boys running up to my room. I especially remember Bube, my youngest, because he was the one who asked me, crying already, 'Mommy, what is it, what's wrong?’

I said to him, 'Kechi is dead. Kechi had a plane crash and she is dead'. And so he was the person told everyone that came running up that Kechi was dead.

The first person that came up was Aunty Cook. When she asked me what the problem was, Bube said “Kechi is dead'. Everyone started crying.

I remember Ugochukwu's face. He was so confused. He had just come back from school for the first time and he was so confused. He had left Kechi at the airport in Abuja.

There was nothing left to do. Everyone started calling us to confirm and as if it was announced, everyone started converging in my parent's house in Apapa.

By the time I got there, Nkechi and Chinedu were already there, and in no time at all, the place was full. Even Ngozi Nzekwe, my friend who was supposed to be hosting a party for her friend from the US that day, cancelled the party, and was in Apapa with us.

I'm not sure why we gathered really, except to feed off each other's pain and disbelief and loss. I was on the phone a lot with Ije. I was calling her every two minutes. I really wanted so much to be in Port Harcourt with her. I knew I could not bring Kechi back, but it just seemed so unfair that she was alone there and we were all in Lagos. Even Mike was not with her because she had gone to the airport without him.

We started making plans on who was going to go to Aba the next day to be with Ije and Mike. Mom was a mess, a total wreck, saying all sorts of things that I'm sure she cannot remember saying. Some of them may have been blasphemous, because I remember Dad saying once or twice, 'Florence, shut up!’

I have never seen the display of faith my Dad showed that day ever or since. The man was silent. Before we came he had gone and prayed and came back and was silent. In one of the phone calls Ije had said that there were a few survivors.. This meant nothing to most of us because I just thought 'ah well'. Nothing prepared me for us being one of the survivors and Dad just made a simple statement. He said, 'If there are any survivors in that plane, then Kechi is one of them'. I pitied him that day. I

thought 'Oh poor man, he is still in denial. He does not know Kechi is dead'.

Ije called and said she heard about three woman survived. My Dad said, 'they will think Kechi is a woman because she is fully mature.' He said again, 'If there is any survivor in that plane, Kechi is one of them'. Then we heard there were eight, then five, then three survivors, and at each number, Dad said that Kechi was one of them. The rest is history.

When we got that call……When Ijeoma called and said that they had called her to rush down to that hospital, that Kechi was alive, never have I felt that kind of euphoria. It was like all of a sudden, life started again. But I guess that's what happened, wasn't it? It was like all of a sudden we……O my God.. we were hugging each other, we were praising God, thanking Jesus, praying and praying and praying and praising Him.

By the time we had determined that it was indeed Kechi, Ije had met up with her, it was incredible. Then the journey started. The minute by minute phone calls did not ever stop, I'm not even sure they have to this day.

It was a horrible day and it was a beautiful day all in one. I also remember calling Obinna and I remember when Chinedu said what he had gotten from the Lord concerning Kechi, that she was going to be fine.

Oh, we needed that word…that she was going to be fine. It was the word that we held unto throughout her entire healing process, because she was so touch and go. We did not even realize how touch and go Kechi was until the pictures started coming.

We thank God and we praise Him. God is awesome.

                        My sister, Uloma's account.

The Story Continues...