You were the beautiful queen of the airway
The navigator of the big birds
The shining star
The daring woman of valour
With audacious venture Up in the air you conquered
The dragon of the airway you silenced
The Deborah of the millennia
Who plied the highway in the galaxies
Up in the sky you piloted
In the air You tailored your trade
Not for pleasure
But for the safety of the fatherland
Tolu, you were a renowned aero hero
Who embraced the way of honour
A distinguished air warrior
With many laurels of victory
You were the air queen that reigned but didn’t slay
The reigning regent of the airway
Lies in your dynasty is your destiny
You were a crowned queen
With a brief reign Death shorten your days
But your impact remain indelible
You were a woman of purpose
Who was not carried away by fashion and distraction
A visionary woman
Who did not only exist but lived for destiny
You designed the history book
Through the ink of resilience and determination
You stood tall among your contemporary
You were known more in your death
Than when you were alive
Heaven gives you the rewards
Of all the awards due you on earth
The bandits shake at the sound of your manmade bird
The terrorists melt away at your expertise
Your boldness was their weakness
Your courage was their fear
The smoke of your manmade bird
Was a prickle around their bones
Like David you appeared before the satanic Goliath
But the stone of faith in your heart
Was the weapon of their destruction
The war you wage on the wing of patriotism
The victory you won for the peace of the land
You’re a courageous Amazon
Only a fearless woman like you
Could dare mathematics and piloting
You took the route mostly abandoned by both men and women
You detached the ceiling of limitation
To reach the zenith of your vision and ambition
You made history when you were crowned
The first female helicopter combatant in Nigeria
From the air you fought
From the air you defended your fatherland
You neither allow the austerity of paucity,
The starkness of dearth
Nor the bleakness of hopelessness to dissuade you
From discovering your dreams
Developing your dreams and Becoming your dreams.
You’re a great achiever
You left fulfilled
The ligament of Patriotism Help you up in the air
As you fought for the territorial integrity of the fatherland
From North Central to North East back to North West
Your impact was felt
You’re a fighter With helmet of success
A faithful compatriot Who translated from the earth planet
In a simple ‘freak car traffic accident’
Tolu, you didn’t die in the air
Via collision of two manmade birds
Not even the bullets from the terrorists’ camp
Nor engine failure of your Agusta chopper
Which you introduced to President Buhari In February this year
But a reversing vehicle took you to the grave
A vehicle on the land not in the air
Indeed, the mortals cannot ask the Immortal
Of reasons for His actions
Your family will miss you
Kogi state, your land of nativity is mourning your departure
Nigeria, the country you so much loved and cherished Is bemoaning your demise
African continent, the continent you held in high esteem Is lamenting your death
The Nigeria Air Force, your primary constituency, Will forever miss you
Nigerian youth are grieved Over your sudden death
Social and conventional media
Are awash of your tributes
People who do not know you Are weeping and sorrowing
Your death is a continental loss
Your demise is a national injury
On fight against terrorism and banditry
Even though the national flag did not flow at half mast
Your demise is a national impairment
– Oyigu Onuche Elijah.
