Pius Adesanmi, popular Nigerian professor and renowned scholar who taught English at Carleton University was on board the ill fated Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed in the early hours of Sunday.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members, lost contact with air traffic controllers six minutes after taking off.
It crashed near Bishoftu, southeast of the Ethiopian capital, Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement.
The airline said 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven British nationals were among the passengers.
His last message on Facebook read: “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me – Psalm 139:9-10.
However, Ethiopian Airlines has confirmed the number nationalities of those on board the crashed airline. Pius Adesanmi was said to be traveling with his Canadian passport.
Africa
Kenya 32
Ethiopia 9
Egypt 6
Morocco 2
Djibouti 1
Mozambique 1
Rwanda 1
Sudan 1
Somalia 1
Togo 1
Uganda 1
Nigeria 1
Americas
Canada 18
United States 8
Asia
China 8
India 4
Indonesia 1
Nepal 1
Europe
Italy 8
France 7
Britain 7
Germany 5
Slovakia 4
Russia 3
Austria 3
Sweden 3
Spain 2
Poland 2
Belgium 1
Ireland 1
Norway 1
Serbia 1
Middle East
Israel 2
Saudi Arabia 1
Yemen 1
Other
UN passport 1
TOTAL
150
Another Nigerian on board the airline was Abiodun Bashua, a former Nigerian diplomat with the United Nations
