The rumour that gained ground
yesterday that the first son of former Head of State, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo,Gbenga Obasanjo was involved in the Associated Airline that crashed in
Lagos, has turned out to be false.
The news which was first circulated
through the social media filled many residents of the state capital with fears
and apprehension as many started mourning with the Obasanjo family over the
tragedy.
Obasanjo himself received the news
during a photo session with primary school pupils who had come for a leadership
training programme at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
The rumour of the involvement of his
first son in the plane crash came to his father as a rude shock.
Obasanjo had just finished addressing
over 400 head boys and head girls of primary schools from Lagos, Ogun and Oyo
states who had converged at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library,
Abeokuta for the workshop tagged “Leadership Training for Young Leaders” when a
caller informed him on the phone about the rumoured involvement of his son in
the crash.
The ex-President was already seated
in front of the auditorium along with other dignitaries, including the Chairman
of the Governing Board of the Centre for Human Security, Prof. Akin Mabogunje;
the director of the centre, Prof. Peter Okebukula; and the participating pupils
for a photo session when his phone rang and the caller at the other end
informed him of his son’s involvement in the plane crash.
Obasanjo was overheard shouting on
top of his voice to the caller at the other end in Yoruba, saying, “Gbenga wo!
O wa ni Abuja!” meaning “which Gbenga, he’s in Abuja.”
The former President, whose
countenance immediately changed, ended the call and became uncomfortable
throughout the few minutes that the photo session lasted.
Immediately the photo session was
over, Obasanjo grabbed Mabogunje’s hand and started moving to the left side of
the OOPL with Okebukola and other dignitaries and his security aides in tow.
They went into one of the chalets at the
end of the library complex where they spent about 40 minutes and later drove
off to an unknown destination.
The programme however continued as
many of the workshop participants who apparently were not aware of the tragedy
returned to the main hall.
On a
later visit to basanjo’s Hilltop mansion, security operatives at the
entrance were seen going about their normal duty, an indication that nothing
had gone wrong with the family.
Tags
Society