Tears as family, friends gather for the Anyenes' Burial

The late Anyenes

It was a gloomy evening at the UPDC Estate, Lekki, recently where a service of songs was held in honour of the Ayene family wiped out in the recent Dana air crash. The Anyene family lost six members to the incident, including Barrister Onyeka Collins Anyene, his wife, Maimuna and their four children.
  
Despite the morning downpour that lasted till the late hours of the afternoon, sympathisers, friends, well-wishers and family members gathered to bid the victims farewell. The event was organised by Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Association of the Executive MBA Class 6 of 2001-2002. An air of sadness pervaded the venue just as the songs were carefully chosen to reflect the mood of the evening. Some sympathisers and family members could not hold back tears. To help calm their nerves, an Acapela group rendered two songs entitled, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning and an Irish song of blessing.  


In his exhortation, Revd. M. K. Obiora Anyika prayed God to comfort the family and use the occasion to win souls for His kingdom. Reading from 1 Corinthians 15:12-26, Psalm 39: 4 and Ecclesiastes 1, the cleric took the sober, sombre congregation through the essence of life. “The Bible says, vanity upon vanity. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? David compared his life to a shadow and decided to live one day at a time,” he stated. 


He urged them not to ask God questions and should not weep as those who do not have hope.  Anyika blamed the incident on the decay and corruption in the nation saying: “We should not ask God questions because on a daily basis, standard is dropping. Corruption is high in the nation. Nobody is safe on the air or land. If we have served the nation so well, we wouldn’t be dragged into this mud.” 


Very sad indeed. Reminds me of when I attended Adekumbi's Service of Songs and Candle light procession. It was such a sad sad event. 


May their souls and all the souls of the victims rest in peace. Amen.