Adelaja on Arotile: Why we must stop mourning her death
Ukraine based Nigerian pastor, Sunday Adelaja has advised Nigerians to stop mourning Tolulope Arotile but rather should begin to celebrate her and her values.
Arotile was Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot. She died in a road mishap on the grounds of the Kaduna Air Force base on July 14.
Adelaja, however, said in a new video released online that, rather than mourn the late Arotile she should be celebrated and immortalized.
While noting that there is no way we won’t mourn her he said, “We must focus more on why we should rejoice for her and celebrate her life. I want us to shift our focus from mourning to celebration. There is a place for mourning. But we must see her as a hero that she was. We must talk about the accomplishment and inspiration she has brought to our nation. She has put her family on the map. She has put womanhood on the map. She has written her name in gold. She has immortalized herself.”
Adelaja said the mistake many Africans make is to think everybody must live a long life. “Jesus did not live a long life. John the Baptist did not live long. Many died young and people have more memories of them than those who lived long lives. Arotile has been able to go beyond the call of duty. We should learn from her.
“Not too many of us accomplished what she accomplished at age 24. There are a lot of Nigerians who have not met the president of Nigeria in their life not to talk of making a presentation to the president. She did. She was the first woman fighter pilot. She lived an inspiring life from the testimonies about her. Would you rather live a life that is not known for anything and live longer or you would live for a brief moment and be remembered for your impact. Arotile has become immortal among us. We should begin to measure life by its productivity, not longevity.”
Instead of living in regret, Adelaja said, “We should live in appreciation that we know her. We should encourage young girls to go to the military. She has opened the road for young girls to pursue their dreams. She died for the unity of Nigeria. We should think about the lesson of excellence from her. We should put her life in textbooks so that young people can learn from her. The military should encourage young people to pursue their dreams of becoming soldiers. There are too many things to celebrate about Arotile than to mourn. Her death should not be used to divide us. It’s time to stop mourning and begin to celebrate the first female pilot fighter in our history.”
