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

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▪︎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

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Entertainment

Imisi Wins Big Brother Naija Season 10

She won with 42.8% of the votes, followed by Dede with 15.94%, Koyin with 15.23%, Sultana with 7.94%, Kola with 5.48%, Jason Jae with 4.84%, Mensan with 3.54%, Isabella with 3.07%, and Kaybobo with 1.72%.

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•BBNaija Season 10 Housemate, Imisi Ayanwale…Photo Credit: Africa Magic.

Africa Magic’s viewers pulling show- Big Brother Naija Season 10 ended yesterday with Imisi Ayanwale emerged as the winner of the competition.

She took home N80 million in cash as part of the N150 million grand prize, after an exciting finale that wrapped up months of drama, laughter, and unforgettable moments.

She won with 42.8% of the votes, followed by Dede with 15.94%, Koyin with 15.23%, Sultana with 7.94%, Kola with 5.48%, Jason Jae with 4.84%, Mensan with 3.54%, Isabella with 3.07%, and Kaybobo with 1.72%.

The humorous and outspoken housemate, who enjoyed massive support from her loyal fanbase known as “Ijoba 606,” beat strong contenders including Dede, who finished as first runner-up, as well as Koyin, Kola, Isabella, and Kaybobo

.Known for her witty remarks and playful personality, Imisi became a fan favourite for her comic timing, authenticity, and ability to lighten tense moments in the house.

Her humour, coupled with her resilience during tough tasks, made her one of the most relatable contestants this season.

This comes after Koyin was shockingly evicted, and Dede and Imisi were instructed to leave the house for the stage.

According to the tradition of the show, the lights were turned off in the house after their exit, an emotional moment for fans who had followed the housemates’ journey for weeks.

This edition of Big Brother Naija has been one of the most engaging yet, featuring unexpected twists, emotional evictions, and viral highlights that dominated social conversations for weeks.

With her win, Imisi joins the ranks of previous champions like Mercy Eke, Laycon, Whitemoney, Phyna, Ilebaye, among others.

All remembered for their unique imprint on the Big Brother legacy.

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National Theater: The Bankers’ Committee “made me eat my words – Soyinka

President Tinubu stated that there was no controversy surrounding the renaming of the National Theatre, adding that he considered Prof. Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture.

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From left: First Lady Oluremi Tinubu; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Prof Wole Soyinka and Lagos State Governor Babajide-Sanwo-Olu…yesterday.

Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka says that before the renovation of the National Theatre, located at Iganmu, Lagos, he thought it was irredeemable, but the Bankers’ Committee “made me eat my words.”’

The renovated edifice was renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, by President Bola Tinubu, as parts of events marking Nigeria’s 65th independent anniversary, yesterday.

Soyinka praised the transformation of the building, noting, “If eating one’s word produces a morsel like this, then it’s a very tasty set of words.”

Soyinka emphasized that he accepted the renaming of the National Theatre after him : ” I never believed that the monument could ever be revamped.”

He admitted that he accepted the honour with mixed feelings, despite being a critic of many past leaders, who appropriated public monuments.

“I have to stand up in public and watch my name being put up as yet another appropriator. It just didn’t seem very well for me,” the literary giant said.

The Bankers’ Committee committed N68 billion into the project.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the occasion directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to float a National Arts Theatre Endowment Fund to ensure the maintenance of the national edifice.

Among the prominent persons at the event were First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso, who coordinated the Bankers’ Committee, Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi, who is a former CBN governor; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.

The Bankers’ Committee committed N68 billion into the project.

President Tinubu said there was no controversy in the National Theatre being renamed, adding that he considered Prof Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture. Prof. Wole Soyinka is one of the greatest assets of the world. So, the renaming could not have gone to anyone else,” he said.

President Tinubu stated that there was no controversy surrounding the renaming of the National Theatre, adding that he considered Prof. Soyinka’s contributions to the arts and culture.

Olayemi Cardoso, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, disclosed that the Bankers’ Committee, the Lagos State Government, and the Ministry of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy came together with a shared purpose to deliver this national project, with the Bankers’ Committee alone committing approximately N68 billion, not as corporate social responsibility but as a deliberate investment in Nigeria’s cultural future.

He said that the project stands as proof that when the public and private sectors unite behind a shared national purpose, there is no limit to what Nigeria can achieve.

The CBN boss stated that 65 years after our nation’s founding, Nigeria’s creative spirit remains alive, pervasive and shaping global culture.

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Entertainment

Trump Imposing 100% Tariff On Movies Made Outside US (Implications for Nollywood)

Trump’s latest post echoes a threat he made in May, when he said the US movie industry was “dying a very fast death.

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US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he is imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States , claiming that his country’s industry has been “stolen” by others.

AFP reported that Trump’s remarks come shortly after he threatened a slew of new tariffs to be imposed this week on branded pharmaceutical products, furniture, as well as heavy trucks, respectively.

On Monday, Trump returned his focus to the film industry, charging in a Truth Social post that other countries have taken business from the United States, “just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’”

He criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom as “weak and incompetent,” adding that the state has been heavily impacted.

“In order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States,” Trump wrote.

Trump’s latest post echoes a threat he made in May, when he said the US movie industry was “dying a very fast death.”

At the time, he said he was authorizing the Department of Commerce and US Trade Representative to start the process of instituting a 100-percent tariff

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