The Nigerian Air Force and indeed, Nigeria as a whole have been mourning since yesterday following the announcement of the death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who died as a result of head injuries she sustained in a road traffic accident at Nigeria Air Force Base, Kaduna, just eight months after she was commissioned as Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
When news of her death broke, many of us felt it was probably from the crash of her aircraft. It was therefore a big surprise, irony and contrast of her death in a road accident.
The high-flying heroine of Nigerian womanhood made her mark as a ‘first’ in many areas in the military, in spite of her short life, at just 23 years old when she died yesterday. “Nigeria’s First Female Combat Helicopter Pilot, Arotile, Dies at 23”, screamed several headlines.
The irony of Tolu’s death makes it more tragic and sad – flying like a bird and shooting at bandits from the sky; and then she dies on the ground in an ‘commonplace’ accident in a peaceful zone, and within the Air Force Base for that matter! What manner of death for our ‘sky warrior’.
It is difficult to put ourselves in the position of Tolu’s parents who have been basking in the accolades of their daughter’s achievement in her short time on earth. Painful indeed!
The media has been abuzz with condolence messages and even President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his sorrow at Tolu’s demise. Many commentators are practically shedding tears and asking questions about the accident – How? How can? How come? Some are even calling for very thorough investigation to be carried out to provide answers as to what happened to the young lady who was a pride not only to womanhood but to the nation at large. Unfortunately, none of these calls or actions will bring Tolu back to life.
Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who was commissioned into the Nigerian Air Force in September 2017 as a member of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 64, was the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the service.
According to a statement from the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Ibikunle Daramola, During her short but impactful stay in the service, late Tolu Arotile, who hails from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central States of armed bandits and other criminal elements by flying several combat missions under Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State.
Daramola said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, commiserates with the family of late Flying Officer Arotile over this irreparable loss.
Tolulope was one of two female pilots decorated last year along with some male pilots at a ceremony held at the NAF Headquarters in Abuja and presided over by the Chief of Air Staff. At that time, Tolulope, as the first Nigerian female helicopter pilot, and Flying Officer Kafayat Sanni who is also the first female fighter pilot in the country were decorated. Tolu was trained as a pilot in South Africa. Her training ensured that for the very first time, Nigeria had a female helicopter pilot in its Air Force who could fly combat missions with an attack helicopter.
At 22, Tolu Arotile had graduated as the best flight student from the NAF Academy, which qualified her for the helicopter training she received in South Africa.
On the day she graduated from NAF Academy, her ecstatic mother had written on her Facebook page:
“On behalf of my entire family. Engr. Akin and Mrs. Arotile, l will like to sincerely appreciate every 1 for honouring the invitation to celebrate with PILOT OFFICER T. AROTILE. I am indeed grateful and pray that God will reward you all exceedingly and abundantly above all you wld think or ask of Him. Once again, thank u and God bless.” The joy of the mother knew no bounds. What does she do now?
Tolu was known to have from childhood been very fervent about the military and she attended Air Force Primary and Secondary Schools in Kaduna, during which she developed a strong interest in becoming a pilot.
In a Thisday newspaper focus on NAF’s Women of War published on October 28, 2019, late Tolu told Chiemelie Ezeobi in an interview:
“I have about 460 hours of flight within 14 months with the helicopter and the major thing I have come to realise in my field is that there is just no break in my career; you just have to keep pushing and doing your best. My advice to younger ones out there is that they should keep doing their best, they should keep running the race until they finish and they should not set limit for themselves because the only limit they have is the one they set for themselves.”
At 23, Tolu obviously achieved her best and finished her race, cut short in her prime in a car accident. She blazed her special trail. We will remember Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile.
IMAGE CREDITS: NAF, Channels TV, Adeola Fayehun
Epa Ogie Eboigbe, veteran journalist, broadcaster and public affairs specialist writes on, and analyses current and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.
