Entertainment

Otedola Bridge tanker fire: Dotun Oladipo, Publisher, The Eagle Online, Narrates his escape with wife, child, and car, but lost his mechanic

Published

2 years ago

March 17, 2025

OhiBaba

595 Views

▪︎Collage of Dotun Oladipo, Publisher, The Eagle Online, (left), and Rotimi Olaleye, the mechanic.

I write this from the point of ‘Pain’ and ‘Gratitude’.

Pain because of the death of a hardworking and honest man, Rotimi Olaleye, who was both a great father, as attested to by his children who he has been taking care of single-handedly since his wife died about five years ago, and an honest and diligent auto mechanic, as confirmed by his clients, including yours truly.

We met less than a week before his death, but he left an unforgettable impression on me, even in death. Gratitude?

I was less than 10 seconds away from where Mr. Olaleye was when the fire that took his life occurred with my wife and first child.

Let me start from the beginning. I met Mr. Olaleye on March 8, 2025, following a need to change my mechanic.

I was introduced to him by the best car air conditioning technician I had ever met, Mr. Akinola Ayeni. We drove the car together on that day.

He spotted some issues, including the fact that the former handler was as careless as not putting the knots that should be holding the connecting ABS wire to the wheel of the driver’s side, by just driving the car.

That was quickly fixed. And he told me, very honestly, that other things had to wait until Monday. That he needed to finish some other jobs. I left happily.

On Monday, I took the car to him. He appeared meticulous. Aside from the fact, that I told him that on completing the work on the Highlander, which my wife uses, I was going to send my car for servicing, he was not in a hurry to declare the vehicle fit. people behind me.

One woman came out of her car and started banging ours: “Move, move.”

She did it a second time and I wound down the back glass, addressing her and my wife who had also become agitated: “We have a man down there. Let’s see if there is still something we can do before we go too far.”

And then his line stopped ringing. My head immediately told me to call Mr. Ayeni. As soon as he picked it up, he asked me: “Have you collected your car? Rotimi has parked by the gate and is waiting for you.”

He did not even hear me saying there was trouble at the workshop until I shouted at the top of my voice.

Mr. Ayeni, who was at Agidingbi, immediately turned back. He, alongside others, discovered the remains of Mr. Olaleye, lying face down. His apprentices who were with him said as the truck crashed, he told them to flee that he needed to “save his customer’s car”.

Meanwhile, his own car was just behind mine. He succeeded in turning the car around to face the workshop. But that was as far as he made it. I cried that night. Something I have not done in several years. I wept bitterly.

In the short period I knew Mr. Olaleye, I learned a lot of lessons.

He left an impact I would never forget. But it was a pity he didn’t pick up my last call, which was to tell him to abandon the car and flee to safety.

His meticulousness on the job was second to none from what I saw in the three days of being with him. He also knew his job. Adieu Mr. Olaleye.

■ SylvaNews

Related Topics:Featured Otedola Bridge tanker fire victims

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Entertainment

Davido Releases ‘Already Falling’ Video Featuring Chioma

The release reunites Davido and Chioma with Alabi, who directed them in ‘Assurance’, Davido’s 2018 song dedicated to Chioma.

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2026

OCHEFA

Davido Releases ‘Already Falling Video Featuring Chioma

140 Views

Afrobeats singer Davido has released the official music video for ‘Already Falling’, featuring his wife, Chioma Adeleke, in a production combining French chateau scenery, elaborate costumes and Nigerian-inspired styling.

Directed by Meji Alabi, the video opens with Davido arriving at a chateau in a horse-drawn carriage.

Other scenes feature dancers, grand interiors and the couple in different settings.

Chioma appears in a navy-blue gown with gold embroidery and a matching gele.

The video concludes with a lakeside scene in which Davido kneels before her, and opens a ring box.

The release reunites Davido and Chioma with Alabi, who directed them in ‘Assurance’, Davido’s 2018 song dedicated to Chioma.

She also appeared in ‘1 Milli’, released in 2020 with a wedding-themed music video.

Entertainment

Sultan of Sokoto to Honour Peter Igho as Kakakin Daular Usmaniyya

The ceremony is expected to be witnessed by prominent Nigerians from all walks of life, and across the country, serving to further cement cordial relations and national unity among the diverse peoples of Nigeria.

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2026

OCHEFA

163 Views

• Peter Igho

The Palace of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, has announced that the formal turbaning ceremony of Chief Peter Igho as Kakakin Daular Usmaniyya will take place on November 1, 2026.

Chief Peter Igho is a legendary Nigerian broadcaster, television producer and media icon.

A former Executive Director at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), he is best known as the Producer/Director of timeless classics such as Cock Crow at Dawn and other pioneering programmes that defined Nigerian television.

He is a recipient of numerous national and international awards for broadcasting excellence and has mentored generations of media professionals.

Chief Igho, who hails from the Niger Delta, is also a respected cultural ambassador and community leader noted for his philanthropy and commitment to national integration.

The prestigious traditional title was conferred on Chief Igho by His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on September 10, 2025, in recognition of his invaluable contributions to the development of the Sultanate Council, Sokoto State, and Nigeria in general.

The Sokoto Caliphate, also known as Daular Usmaniyya, was founded in 1804 by the great Islamic scholar and reformer, Shehu Usman Dan Fodio.

It remains one of the most significant empires in African history, renowned for its scholarship, administration, justice and promotion of Islamic values.

At its peak, it was the largest state in West Africa.

Today, the Sultanate Council, under the Sultan of Sokoto, remains the pre-eminent custodian of its heritage and a central institution for Islamic leadership, peacebuilding, and national cohesion in Nigeria.

Entertainment

Davido, Kirk Franklin, to hit airwaves with new song ‘Hope In You’

The project also features American musicians GloRilla, Jelly Roll and Tobe Nwigwe, bringing together artists from different musical backgrounds.

Published

1 week ago

October 28, 2026

OCHEFA

166 Views

Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido, and American gospel singer Kirk Franklin will on Friday, October 30, 2026, release a new song, titled ‘Hope in You.’

The song will feature on Franklin’s forthcoming 14-track album, I Am What I Am, which blends gospel music with contemporary sounds.

The collaboration was previewed at an album listening event in Atlanta, United States, on October 12, where Davido reportedly performed a verse and joined the choir.

The project also features American musicians GloRilla, Jelly Roll and Tobe Nwigwe, bringing together artists from different musical backgrounds.

The collaboration marks a meeting of Afrobeats and contemporary gospel, with the two artists bringing their distinct musical styles to the project.