Nigeria, May 21 -- There are certain dates that history engraves upon the human conscience with indelible permanence. They become moments frozen in emotional amber. These are occasions when time itself appears to pause in collective disbelief. The 21st of May 2021 remains one of such days in Nigeria's contemporary history. Five years later, the memory of the tragic Nigerian Air Force plane crash near Kaduna airport that claimed the life of the 21st Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other gallant officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces still evokes a profound sense of national bereavement and unfinished longing.

I remember vividly where I was when the devastating news filtered through. The initial reports seemed too cat...