21^st May 2021 is one of those days that you remember exactly where you were when the news broke about a Nigerian Airforce plane crash in Kaduna.  For me, it is exactly three years ago today in London that I was just preparing to return to Abuja when I nonchalantly turned on the television to BBC News to see what was going on around the world. I thought I caught the breaking news strip on Nigeria with the corner of my eye. I waited a few seconds again for the news flash to reappear and thought I wasn’t seeing right when I read that the plane carrying the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, CFR, together with ten other officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces had crashed and that all on board the ill-fated plane were presumed dead.

I grabbed my phone to make calls and to my consternation, there were already several missed calls and WhatsApp messages on my phone from concerned citizens who knew of my friendship with the Attahirus.  I frantically put a call through and was fortunate to get through to one of Mrs Attahiru’s brothers who was with her in their house at the time. I wept, first for the Attahirus for having lost a dear and caring husband and father, but more, for Nigeria, for having lost a refreshingly fine leader who was fearlessly committed to decisively ending the menace of the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.

General Attahiru cannot, and must not, be forgotten! He was a Nigerian patriot who came from a very humble background, overcoming all adversities to get to the apex of his military career. A good role model to millions of young Nigerians from disadvantaged backgrounds who have to fight harder to have the bright futures they deserve.  To the Late General, as we all know, potential is everywhere, but opportunity is not.  With a strong sense of duty and inclusiveness, it was no wonder he made Readiness, Duty to the country, Dependability and Continuous leadership development (RDDC) the main pillars of his command. In his contemplation, Readiness would entail mission-oriented, functional training, the welfare of officers and men, as well as adequate equipment. His concept of Dependability would be about building the capacity of the Nigerian Army to accomplish any mission in line with the norms of humanity as enshrined in its core values and ethics. The Continuous leadership development philosophy would ensure that the Army starts to build commanders who understand the dynamics of 21st century soldiering.

His emblematic rallying cry to his men on the war front in Maiduguri in February 2021 still evokes intense patriotic valour amongst the men and officers of the Nigerian military and has been likened in its enduring effects, to one of the speeches by Sir Winston Churchill during WWII.  He told the troops at Dikwa, among other things:

“I bring you very special greetings from the President, Commander-in-Chief of the

Armed Forces. I present myself as your Chief of Army Staff to get to meet you and for

you to get to know me as well.

The essence of this visit is operational. The idea is to motivate you.

In the last few days, we have had attacks in your area of responsibility.

It is high time we got back and fight through and support our forces ahead of you.

Areas around Marte, Chikingudo, Kirenowa, up to Kira, Wulgo must be cleared

in the next 48 hours., Rest assured of all the support required in this onerous task”.

Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru promised to do as he directed. And they delivered! The troops advanced immediately and recaptured Marte within 24 hours. This speech trended for several weeks and acted as a motivating factor for the other forces across the Operation Theatre.

It was therefore no surprise that, shortly after his passing, his widow, Mrs Fati Attahiru announced the founding of the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF) as an independent and non-partisan Foundation in memory of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of Nigeria.  The Foundation was set up to perpetuate the leadership ideals and qualities he embodied as a military service leader, and as expressed in his personal life as a man of infectious generosity. The priority focus of GIAF is Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), to the military, paramilitary, veterans, their dependents and the provision of scholarships to disadvantaged young people. When he was alive, he had great concern for the mental well-being of his men and with the knowledge that our brave men and officers of the Nigerian Military and paramilitary, in the line of their duties, inevitably witness the carnage and horrors of war and are exposed to traumatic experiences.  Because of the stigma associated with mental health conditions, many of our veterans and serving officers suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other psycho-trauma experiences in silence.

In the words of Minot J Savage, “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men”.  General Attahiru continues to do good and impact lives even from his grave.  Since 2022, the Foundation has been running weekly radio programmes on CASIS (Campaign Against Suffering In Silence) on the Armed Forces Radio, Abuja and Liberty Radio, Kaduna, in both English and Hausa versions and broadcast in 19 Northern States.  This is followed by weekly counselling support and referrals by professional psychologists and therapists. In the cause of the weekly radio programmes, both in English and Hausa, it has been discovered that a lot of people are suffering in silence, ranging from rape cases, kidnap victims, people suffering from depression, panic attacks and anxiety amongst other forms of mental health challenges as well as different forms of psychosis who call in. In the programme’s first year, it has reached over 80,000 people, with hundreds accessing the service through calls/online support and over a hundred people receiving further psychiatric/ therapeutic support.

As we mark the 3^rd anniversary of the passing of Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru to the great beyond, it is my fervent wish that we become intentional in remembering our heroes past, whose sacrifices and service to our dear country ensure the democracy and relative peace we enjoy today.  May his example – and those who have gone before him – guide us all and I hope you will join me in remembering his legacy and his lasting impact on our military and country. I want to end this by quoting the author of Proverbs 10:7 who says “the memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot”. May the soul of General Ibrahim Attahiru continue to rest in perfect peace and may Almighty God continue to guide, protect and bless the beautiful family he left behind.

Akin Olukiran is a family friend and he writes from London. He can be reached on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.