By Abiodun Awoyemi
It was with sadness, that the news of the death of the first female helicopter Combat Pilot in the country, Tolu Arotile, was received.
While claims of a freaky accident as the cause of the unfortunate incidence has been reported, the latest unfortunate development, is a major setback for the fight against insurgency and banditry in the country, considering the impactful role the young and promising lady held before her death.
Talent gone! Sacrifices gone. Dream gone! Patriot gone! History is gone! Inspiration is gone.
No parent should even have to experience this. I cannot comprehend how the parents would take it. AROTILE, I won’t forget you.
At 24 years only, she had done much, set record and made history. One bright future is gone and I can’t just comprehend this.
If it was an accident as it was claimed, it could have happened anywhere though, but…
How will this sketchy news not discourage young minds from the south who dream of fixing Nigeria? Anyways we will not fear.
Over the last years, I have seen and immersed myself in too many of these stories; stories of preventable deaths of young, brilliant, and often patriotic future leaders of our nation.
Doyin Sara Fagbenro died after an accident in Lekki in 2016. She was born and living in the UK but only came here after her love for Nigeria.
Adekunbi Adebiyi was born in Chicago. She had her BSc and masters in the United Kingdom and was only serving the nation with a dream to be our first female president. She went on June 3, 2012.
I am not sure if we remember the story of Dezan Charity, a final year student of Yabatech, an only child, that died because the health center refused to treat her, giving her only PCM and referring her to the FMC Yaba.
The doctors at FMC demanded for 52, 000 from her friends before she could be treated. Sadly she died there.
Even though as a nation, we forget events so easily, I want to believe we still can remember last year’s Adewura Bello. She fell into a manhole on her way home from work, somewhere around Festac. I had shouted about manholes in Abuja and Lagos before then but ‘Na Lie.’
How many more can I share with you? I recently shared to some people, that of George Iwilade (Afrika) who was mudered some 21 years ago. Some may say that was a long time, but the way he was mudered, you still have such recurrence today.
My friends sister was born on same day in same Ile-Ife. That young lad today is first class graduate of Public Health.
Just last week, a friend of my friend, Ify or so was her name, died with her mum on their way from Lagos to Ogun. Road Traffic Accident! But why?
We definitely still remeber Moradeun Balogun, May God rest her amazing soul. R. Jolad Hospital denied her treatment for some reports like that. The senate claimed there was a law that mandates hospitals to treat “gunshot” victims.
But excuse me Mr. Senator! Moradeun was not shot, she was stabbed by some hooligans who wanted to take her laptop.
I went to the senate for this particular matter for them to amend that bill, but what do we get? I hope they have not forgotten until another case…
Do we remember Aluu 4? That sad event in Port Harcourt? I can never forget these stories. I read up about them and made frantic efforts not only to empathize with the families from a distance but to locate them and feel their pain.
Honestly I don’t know why I do what I do. I don’t know why I chose to take this path, carrying this burden.
But one thing I know is this. Before we go to Heaven, we will fix this Dream-Killing country. We will be strategic with the way we go about it but it will happen!
TOLU AROTILE! Rest In Peace! We’ll never Forget!
Abiodun Awoyemi is the founder and CEO of TNN Emergency Management Services, an Organization working to prevent avoidable accidents and avoid preventable deaths in communities in Nigeria and beyond.
Permit me to say that I’m very impressed about this writeup most especially how he took us down history it’s so nice. God bless abundantly