Ondo Crash: Nigeria Owes Fallen NAF Officers a Debt–Shettima

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria owes an enduring debt of gratitude to the officers who died when a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft crashed in Ondo State on Monday.

 

In a condolence message on Tuesday to the families of the deceased and to the officers, airmen and airwomen of the NAF, Shettima described the tragedy as a painful national loss. He assured the bereaved that the Federal Government would continue to stand by them long after the period of national mourning has ended.

 

A nation that asks its citizens to serve, the vice-president said, must also remember those who pay the ultimate price in that service.

 

Shettima spoke of the human cost of the crash.

 

"32 [of] our compatriots left on a routine mission in the service of their country. They were colleagues, friends and comrades.

 

"But beyond the uniforms they wore and the ranks they held, they were husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.

 

"Somewhere today, there is an empty chair. Somewhere, a family is still trying to comprehend the sudden silence left by someone who was expected to return home.

 

"These are the human faces of the supreme sacrifice we speak about as a nation," he said.

 

Reaffirming President Bola Tinubu's message after the tragedy, Shettima noted that the President had declared three days of national mourning and directed that flag be flown at half-mast in honour of the deceased.

 

According to the vice-president, the sacrifice made by the deceased places an enduring obligation on the nation to remember both their service and the loved ones they left behind.

 

"We cannot ask the bereaved to be strong today. Grief does not obey instructions.

 

"We can only assure them that Nigeria remembers, Nigeria mourns with them, and Nigeria will stand beside them beyond these days of mourning," Shettima said.

 

The vice-president also extended his solidarity to the officers, airmen and airwomen of the NAF, noting that the tragedy had taken from the Service members of a professional family bound together by duty and sacrifice.

 

"To the men and women of the Nigerian Air Force, we know that this loss is yours in a particularly personal way.

 

"Your fallen colleagues have paid the supreme price. A grateful nation honours their courage, their service and the families who shared them with Nigeria," he said.

 

Shettima prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and for comfort and strength for their families, colleagues and loved ones.