Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria owes an enduring debt of gratitude to officers who died in Monday’s Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Ondo State.
In a condolence message to the families of the deceased, officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force on Tuesday, Shettima assured that the Federal Government would continue to stand by them beyond the period of national mourning.
The vice president described the tragedy as a painful national loss.
Shettima noted that a nation that asks its citizens to serve must also remember those who pay the ultimate price in that service.
“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.
Shettima, who reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s message following the tragedy, noted that the president had declared three days of national mourning.
He also said that the President directed that flags be flown at half-mast in honour of the deceased.
According to Shettima, the ultimate sacrifice made by the deceased imposes 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.
He also extended his solidarity to officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force.
Shettima noted 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 stated.
The vice president prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and for comfort and strength for their families, colleagues and loved ones. (NAN)
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