Entertainment
Otedola Bridge tanker fire: Dotun Oladipo, Publisher, The Eagle Online, Narrates his escape with wife, child, and car, but lost his mechanic
▪︎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
Entertainment
AGN President Jetting to London for UK–Nigeria Creative Roundtable and Awards
I am honoured to participate in the creative roundtable and awards in collaboration with Elegant Flix 3D Magazine, themed: ‘Global Partnerships for Sustainable Cultural Heritage and Integrity’, which is in line with United Nations Social Development Goal17
The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu, has been billed to participate in the upcoming UK–Nigeria Creative Roundtable and Awards.
The event, scheduled to hold annually, will take place on Thursday, March 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in London
Commenting on the event, Yakubu affirmed that his participation would focus on engaging global industry leaders and fostering collaborations that promote Nigerian culture and talent on the world stage.
He said, “I will be in London for our forthcoming international engagement. I am honoured to participate in the creative roundtable and awards in collaboration with Elegant Flix 3D Magazine, themed: ‘Global Partnerships for Sustainable Cultural Heritage and Integrity’, which is in line with United Nations Social Development Goal17.
“I am looking forward to the event, and I know it will be an interesting and fruitful venture.”
Key stakeholders expected at the gathering include: Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture and the Creative Economy; founder, Elegant Flix 3DM Magazine – HRM Florence Okonkwo (Queen of the red carpet); Dr. Ejezie Emeka Rollas, (MON, emeritus president, AGN); Chief Steve Enoh (Chairman, organising committee); Hon. Desmond Elliot; Chioma Akpotha (host); Ifeoma Okeke – Ozzoude ( moderator/ event producer), among others.
Entertainment
Papa Ajasco rebrands as Bondu Alaska
” Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning Nigerians. My name is Bondu Alaska. The one and only Bondu Alaska. I want to use this medium to thank Nigerians because they have done a lot for me in my life. I’m a new person now, and I promise that I will not let you down”.
Abiodun Ayoyinka, the veteran actor behind the iconic character Papa Ajasco, is now bearing a new stage name called Bondu Alaska.
The move follows a public dispute with Wale Adenuga Productions over the use of the Papa Ajasco brand.
In a video announcing the rebranding on Instagram, Ayoyinka expressed gratitude for the support he received following his recent viral interview and promised to make a fresh start as Bondu Alaska.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning Nigerians. My name is Bondu Alaska. The one and only Bondu Alaska. I want to use this medium to thank Nigerians because they have done a lot for me in my life. I’m a new person now, and I promise that I will not let you down”, he said.
He has since then changed his Instagram handle to @bondualaska_ and is encouraging fans and brands to connect with him under his new persona.
The rebranding appears to be a strategic response to legal constraints related to his Papa Ajasco role.
Hollywood and martial arts legend Chuck Norris, the iconic tough-guy actor known for his unbreakable on-screen persona and the long-running TV series Walker, Texas Ranger, has passed away at the age of 86.
Norris died on Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Hawaii following a recent medical emergency that led to his hospitalization, according to multiple reports and his family’s announcement. He was surrounded by loved ones and passed peacefully.
“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family stated in a post on Instagram. “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.
“Born Carlos Ray Norris on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, he rose to fame as a world champion martial artist before transitioning into acting. His breakthrough came in the 1972 film” The Way of the Dragon”, where he famously battled Bruce Lee in the Colosseum.
Norris went on to star in a string of 1980s action hits, including the “Missing in Action” trilogy, “The Delta Force” , and “Code of Silence”, cementing his image as an indestructible hero who delivered justice with roundhouse kicks and steely resolve.
He reached even wider audiences as Cordell Walker in the CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001), which ran for eight seasons and became a cultural staple with its mix of martial arts, moral lessons, and high-kicking action.
Beyond the screen, Norris inspired the viral “Chuck Norris Facts” internet meme phenomenon in the mid-2000s, where exaggerated jokes portrayed him as superhumanly invincible jokes that fans playfully referenced even in tributes following the news of his death.
Norris was also a U.S. Air Force veteran, author, and outspoken advocate for fitness, faith, and conservative values throughout his later years.
His passing marks the end of an era for action cinema and has drawn an outpouring of tributes from fans, fellow actors, and admirers worldwide.
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