Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that Nigeria owes an enduring debt of gratitude to officers who died in Monday’s Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State. He recently had his say via a condolence message to the families of the deceased officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.
Describing the tragedy as a painful national loss, Shettima assured that the Federal Government would continue to stand by them beyond the period of national mourning.
Kashim added that a nation that asks its citizens to serve must also remember those who pay the ultimate price in that service.
His words, “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.
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.
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.”
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