Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and
some have greatness thrust upon them.
William Shakespeare
“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’ ’’ her father, Akintunde Arotile, recalled in a Punch Newspaper interview.
Youthful prodigies come and go. Some geniuses are flawed while others husband their gifts such that, no matter the intervening odds, they get to see the light of day. The story of Tolulope Arotile’s life is a tale that esteems the virtues of persistence, competence , bravery and, sadly, the vicious demonstration of treachery on the part of the nation she served briefly but nobly.
Born Tolulope Oluwatoyin Sarah Arotile in 1995, that childhood dream became a reality on 22nd September, 2012, after she was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy and would be commissioned five years later. By October of 2019 she had acquired 460 hours ( about 19 days) of flight within 14 months in flying a helicopter. She flew her quota of the anti-banditry bombardments to rid the target zone of terror.
Tolulope Arotile was winged as the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force, having completed pilot training courses at the Student International Training Academy, South Africa. She held a commercial pilot’s licence and underwent tactical training on the Augusta 109 Power Attack Helicopter in Italy.
On a black Tuesday, July 14, 2020, the meteoric rise that became illustrious by every parameter was halted. According to the Nigerian Air Force in Kaduna, she was “advertently hit by the reversing vehicle of an excited former Air Force Secondary School classmate while trying to greet her.” This was after she had returned from an operation on bandits in Katsina.
Her death leaves so much to be investigate. “Whom the gods love,” they say, “die young.” If impact and fulfillment of destiny is anything to go by, Tolu Arotile did her bit, and she did it so well. The forces that contended with her only prevailed on her body, but her soul far outweighs the concerted efforts of all her assailants put together.
Her father would aptly observe, “I just thank God that she was able to achieve her dreams as a baby before her death.” At just 25 she outlived many nonagenarians.
