Entertainment

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

Published

1 year ago

March 17, 2025

OhiBaba

395 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

Breaking: Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo dies at 40

Known for his versatility on screen and widely admired for his striking looks, Ekubo built a successful career in Nollywood, featuring in numerous hit films and television productions.

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

OCHEFA

54 Views

•Alexx Ekubo

Popular Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo has died at the age of 40 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

According to The Sun Nigeria, family sources said the actor passed away on Monday, May 11, 2026, following months of illness.

Alexx Ekubo’s absence from the public eye had raised concerns among fans and colleagues, as he had stayed away from social media for an extended period.

The actor’s last social media post was made in December 2024, shortly after news broke that his engagement had been called off.

Known for his versatility on screen and widely admired for his striking looks, Ekubo built a successful career in Nollywood, featuring in numerous hit films and television productions.

Entertainment

Dress made from 500 loaves stuns African film awards

Some social media fans hailed the design describing it as “a true definition of carrying your business on the head”

Published

4 days ago

May 10, 2026

OhiBaba

55 Views

* Queen Mercy Atang in her dress made of bread: Credit BBC/ Gift Ufuoma

Here’s a look at some of the most talked-about appearances and moments from the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in Nigeria with dramatic trains, sculptural gowns, shimmering fabrics and heavily theatrical designs that once again transformed the event from an awards show into a spectacle of style held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

The annual ceremony celebrates achievements in African film, television and digital storytelling, while also serving as one of the continent’s biggest cultural showcases where celebrities compete for being best-dressed, as much as they do for awards.

The red carpet turns into a bakery

Reality TV star Queen Mercy Atang arrived in one of the evening’s most attention-grabbing looks, a dress made from more than 500 loaves of bread, she said.

Surrounded by two maidens carrying trays of bread, several assistants helping carry the outfit across the carpet, Atang struggled to move freely.

Speaking to the BBC, she said that the outfit was designed to promote her bread-baking business and insisted the appearance was intentional marketing rather than shock value.

“What other place is better to advertise my business than the AMVCA?” she said.

The dress was designed by the iconic Toyin Lawan of Tiannah’s Empire, who commented on Instagram that she’s beginning a trend of “everyone wear your business”.

The look immediately became one of the night’s biggest social media talking points.

Some social media fans hailed the design describing it as “a true definition of carrying your business on the head”.

However, not all fans were impressed. Some said the display represented a waste of food, a suggestion the reality TV star rejected.

Entertainment

Davido to be inducted into Black Music Walk of Fame

The 2026 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to hold on June 1, 2026, in Atlanta, along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Northside Drive, outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Published

6 days ago

May 8, 2026

OCHEFA

74 Views

•Davido arrives at the 2026 Grammy Awards red carpet in Los Angeles on Sunday February 1, 2026. Photo: OkayAfrica.

Afrobeats star David Adeleke ‘Davido’ is set to be honoured at the 2026 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

American rapper Ludacris is also expected to be honoured at the event.

The organisers said that Davido has helped bring African music to the forefront of the international stage.

” Known for his infectious hits, dynamic performances, and cross-cultural collaborations, he has built a sound that transcends borders while staying rooted in his heritage.

“Beyond music, his impact extends into philanthropy and entrepreneurship, inspiring a new generation of artists across the globe.”

Davido is one of Africa’s most commercially successful music stars, with several international collaborations and chart-topping projects to his name.

Since breaking into the mainstream with his 2011 hit song Dami Duro, the singer has gone on to release globally recognised tracks including Fall, If, Unavailable and Feel.

He has also collaborated with international music stars such as Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Lil Baby and Summer Walker.