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
Nigerian comedian Freedom Okpetoritse Atsepoyi, widely known as Mr Jollof, has extended a sincere apology to the passengers affected by the delay caused by the in-flight confrontation with social media personality VeryDarkMan, as well as to the National Civil Aviation Authority and United Nigeria Airlines.
Speaking on Instagram on Tuesday, Mr Jollof expressed regret for any inconvenience his actions might have caused.
He explained the circumstances surrounding the incident, emphasising that he is not naturally violent and only acted to defend himself.
“I want to use this medium to sincerely apologise to the NCAA, United Nigeria Airlines, and the passengers. I was only defending myself. You guys saw what happened. I am very sorry if I delayed your appointment.
I’m very sorry. Pardon me. I am not that kind of person; it will never happen again. And to my lovely wife, I know you are proud of me. And to my kids, I’m sorry, daddy will never do this again,” he stated.
Entertainment
Airlines Deboard VeryDarkman, Mr Jollof, handover to Airports security
“United Nigeria Airlines confirms that an altercation occurred between two passengers, identified as Martins Vincent Otse VeryDarkman and Freedom Okpetoritse Atsepoyi Mr Jollof, during the boarding of Flight UN0523 at Asaba International Airport on the morning of November 17, 2025.
Nigerian carrier, United Nigeria Airlines, Monday, handed over social media influencers, Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkman, and Freedom Atsepoyi, known as Mr Jollof, to airport security over the incident that happened during the boarding of Flight UN0523 at Asaba International Airport, Delta State.
This followed a viral video showing both passengers in a fight aboard the flight.
The airline’s Public Relations Officer, Chibuike Uloka, in a statement, confirmed an altercation between VeryDarkman and Mr Jollof, saying the crew responded immediately and professionally to de-escalate the situation.
Uloka said both passengers were deboarded without delay to ensure other passengers safety.
The statement reads: “United Nigeria Airlines confirms that an altercation occurred between two passengers, identified as Martins Vincent Otse VeryDarkman and Freedom Okpetoritse Atsepoyi Mr Jollof, during the boarding of Flight UN0523 at Asaba International Airport on the morning of November 17, 2025.
““In full compliance with global aviation safety protocols, our crew responded immediately and professionally to de-escalate the situation.
Both passengers were deboarded without delay to ensure the safety, comfort, and security of all other passengers and crew members. They were subsequently handed over to airport security for further investigation.
Entertainment
Regina Daniels Declares Family Crisis, Calls Ned Nwoko Ex-Husband, Vows to Fight for Her Children [VIDEO]
Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has finally explained the crisis rocking her marriage with Senator Ned Nwoko.
In a lengthy video she posted on her official Instagram page, the actress confirmed that her family is currently in a turmoil.
Daniels, who referred to Ned as her ex-husband, also vowed to fight for her children, stating that she is capable of training them even without Ned’s support.
She said, “My family is actually in turmoil, it’s crazy but we will definitely come out of it. What gave me the courage to do this video is seeing how my family and everyone is fighting for me. My brother, mum and my sisters, everybody is fighting.
“My brother started a petition and in hours, there were a lot of people signing the petition.
“I’m going to fight for my children Ned, I tried to be calm, I tried to let go but I will fight and take them. I will train them with or without your support. You know that my ex-husband”.
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