Student Group Calls For Renaming of Base After Arotile

The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a pan-African student movement, has mourned the painful death of Nigeria’s first and only female combat helicopter pilot, Miss Tolulope Arotile.

Arotile reportedly died after she was knocked down by her classmate at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base, Kaduna on July 14.

The President of PSM, Mr. Bestman Okereafor, gave the condolence message in a statement made available to newsmen in Enugu on Sunday.

Okereafor said her death was pathetic, unfortunate, and “a major setback for the country’s aerial military power development’’.

“The attention of the leadership of PSM has been drawn to the sudden demise of a promising and second to none first Nigerian female combat helicopter pilot, Miss Tolulope Arotile, 23.

“PSM condoles with the family and loved ones of the deceased.

“Even as we are equally calling on the leadership of NAF to critically look into circumstances surrounding the death of Arotile.

“No doubt, Arotile death is pathetic, unfortunate and a major setback for the country at a point when the government is battling insurgents and criminal elements in the country.

“We are therefore demanding the renaming of the NAF Base Kaduna in honor of Tolulope Arotile,’’ he said.

In another story,  Nigerian Air Force has revealed the identity of the ex-classmate of the late Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who hit her with a car he was driving.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, made this known at a briefing in Abuja, The Punch reports.

Daramola gave the name of Arotile’s ex-classmate who drove the vehicle that hit Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot as “Mr. Nehemiah Adejoh”.

The NAF spokesperson also said the matter would be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force being a civil case.