Engr Akintunde Arotile, the father of deceased Nigeria’s first female combat pilot, Tolulope, has praised the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for providing moral support for his family as it mourns his beloved daughter.
The grieving father, who retired from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) as a Power Engineer in 2019, said the NAF’s support has been overwhelming.
He said, “I must say that I am really impressed by the outpouring of sympathy and support.
“There have been several visits from her bosses from all over the country, including here in Lokoja, Abuja, Kaduna, and Enugu.
“The support has been overwhelming. They have even promised to let us choose where to bury her, but her commandant suggested that she should be buried at the National Cemetery, Abuja because of the number of people that will attend the funeral and due to the feat she achieved as the first female combat pilot in Nigeria.”
In an interview published by The Punch on Thursday, Engr Arotile said that his family was more than devastated by the loss of his “brilliant and wonderful” daughter.
He disclosed that his daughter was born in Kaduna as the fourth child of his family and from a tender age always wanted to be a pilot.
The proud father said his daughter graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna with a degree in Mathematics.
Afterward, he said, “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.”
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