Akintunde Arotile, the father of the first Nigerian female combat pilot, Tolulope, has revealed his last moments with her.
Arotile, who retired from the Transmission Company of Nigeria years back said he spoke with his late daughter hours before she died.
The former civil servant told Punch in an interview that his family is devastated by Tolulope’s sudden death.
He spoke about her life saying she achieved her dreams of flying and serving the country.
He said: “From day one, she had not just been brilliant, but also wonderful. I was in Kaduna. She had all her education at the Air Force Base and the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. One day, when she was very small, she pointed to one small aircraft, parked on a field and said, “Dad, one day I am going to fly that aircraft” and I said amen.
“So from that day, she started working towards that. She got admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna. She had a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. She became an Air force cadet. She was sent on several courses abroad and became a pilot. I just thank God that she was able to achieve her dreams as a baby before her death”.
“She was number four (fourth child). Right from day one, she had been very intelligent. Sometimes, I wondered what type of IQ she had. She also combined intelligence with hard work. In fact, if you had been here when her bosses from Enugu came, you would think she was their daughter; the way they were eulogising her. They were proud of her achievements”, he added.
Be the first to comment