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 month ago

March 17, 2025

OhiBaba

▪︎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

KSA: I have not been kidnapped

This is coming following an alarm raised by the musician’s daughter, Damilola Esther Adeniyi-Adegeye on social media on Monday, April 28.Damilola had claimed King Sunny Ade’s manager and son, Dayo Adegeye, had shielded her father away from the family and associates.

Published

7 hours ago

April 30, 2025

OhiBaba

“This is to clarify to everybody that I was not kidnapped nor did I kidnap myself but we thank God and I have to thank the whole world with calls from many of my fans wanting to know my wellbeing and state.”

There were the words of Dr. Sunday Adeniyi-Adegeye aka King Sunny Ade in a video shared yesterday.

“They are keeping him in different hotels, away from his family, pumping him with sleeping medications! My dad just lost his daughter and hasn’t even had time to mourn, yet they keep dragging him from show to show. I want my dad free from their bondage,” Damilola lamented.

In furtherance, the decorated singer, who is 78, said he was in good shape and had neither been kidnapped nor in danger.

The Nation

Entertainment

Who is a social media influencer? Top10 Nigerian Social Media Influencers

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2025

OCHEFA

A social media influencer is an individual who has built a significant following on social media platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, or Facebook.

They often have expertise or a strong interest in a particular niche or industry, and use their online presence to:

1. Share content, opinions, or experiences.

2. Promote products, services, or causes.

3. Engage with their audience.

Types of Influencers

Influencers can be categorized into various types, including:

1. Nano-influencers (small, niche audience)

2. Micro-influencers (smaller, engaged audience)

3. Mid-tier influencers (larger audience, often with a strong brand)

4. Macro-influencers (large, broad audience)

5. Celebrity influencers (famous individuals leveraging their fame)

Influencers As Brands Ambassadors

Their influence can impact consumer behavior, trends, and brand awareness.

Here are some notable social media influencers in Nigeria, categorized by their areas of expertise:

Music and Entertainment

1. Davido: With 29.6 million followers, Davido is one of the most popular Instagram influencers in Nigeria, known for his music and entertainment content.

2. Tiwa Savage: This singer and entertainer has 18.8 million followers and is known for her music and lifestyle content.

3. Wizkid: With 18.1 million followers, Wizkid is a popular singer and entertainer in Nigeria.

4. Burna Boy: This Grammy-nominated artist has 17.7 million followers and is known for his music and activism.

Acting and Drama

5. Funke Akindele: With 16.4 million followers, Funke Akindele is a popular actress and producer in Nigeria.

6. Regina Daniels: This actress and model has 15.1 million followers and is known for her acting and lifestyle content.

7. Ini Edo: With 14.2 million followers, Ini Edo is a popular actress in Nigeria.

Comedy and Humor

8. AY Makun: This comedian and actor has 12.7 million followers and is known for his humorous content.

9. Lasisi Elenu: With 4.6 million followers, Lasisi Elenu is a popular comedian and actor in Nigeria.

10. Mark Angel: This comedian and actor has 3.4 million followers and is known for his humorous content.

Entertainment

Tension among Sunny Ade’s children over music legend’s whereabouts

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2025

Charles Flames

Some children of the legendary juju musician, Sunday Adegeye, aka King Sunny Ade, are currently at loggerheads over his well-being and whereabouts.

A daughter of the singer and guitarist, Damilola Esther, took to social media to accuse her step-brother, Dayo, of holding their father hostage, and also booking him for events without honouring the engagements.

In a series of social media posts, she also called for her brother, who she referred to as his manager, to be apprehended for “stealing” from KSA.

One of the posts read, “Dad told my brother that he wants to go home. Where is he? Where are his phones? He has not been online or picking his calls. Where is he?”

Another one read, “I want Dayo (manager) apprehended. I want him to provide all the money they have been stealing from him. He has a UK visa, thinking he can run.

”However, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Dayo said their father was hale and hearty.

He maintained that he was not the father’s “official manager” but was only helping out his dad in that regard.

He said, “The allegation is false. On Saturday (April 26, 2025), my dad performed at the 60th birthday party of a fan. The event took place at 16 Musa Yar’Adua Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He still had rehearsals with members of his band last week. He will perform in Akure (Ondo State capital) on May 1.

“She (Damilola) is not in the right frame of mind for her to have made those posts.

On Easter Sunday, she called me and said she wanted to speak with dad, because she doesn’t live in Nigeria.

I gave the phone to my dad, and they spoke for about 30 minutes. I then told her that if she wanted to see him, she could come to Nigeria.

“The moment she started making nasty comments about dad, she crossed the line. You cannot speak ill of my father and expect me to still reckon with you, no matter who you are. Even my mother wouldn’t do that.

Why would you (Damilola) go on social media and call daddy names?

”Dayo also stated that KSA would release a statement to clear the air and put things in perspective.

“Kindly ignore all she has said. KSA will release a statement on social media within 24 hours. And if you are free, you can join him in Akure for his performance on May 1.

He will be glad to have an interaction with you, and answer questions on what you have heard on social media about him,” he said.

Clarifying that he was not KSA’s manager but was only “helping out” in the absence of one, Dayo told our correspondent, “I am not an official manager. I just assist my father. I have my businesses.

As I explained to her (Damilola), I don’t have any employment letter, and I am not on the payroll.

“I am just helping my dad, like the Scripture commands. This arrangement was not even planned but was necessitated by some developments.

He (KSA) asked me to help him handle certain things, pending the time he gets someone in that position.

And, he feels extremely comfortable with what I have been doing, and he said I should continue doing it.

“This is like paying him back for all the things he has done for me. One of the things he loves the most is going on stage to perform, and that is what he has been doing for the past 59 years. We cannot just ask him to stop doing that.

”Another son of the iconic musician, David, asserted that Damilola was making things up.

In a separate interview he said, “As I’m speaking with you, daddy is fine. He is not working under duress. He just finished an event. I can tell you with proof and evidences that he is fine.

”David also noted that he was ready to volunteer more information to prove that their daddy was fine, and there was no cause for alarm.

However, a respected journalist, Olawale Olaleye, claimed that KSA was no longer accessible to people who used to be in contact with him.

In a social media post, he noted that Damilola reached out to him with the claim that something sinister was going on with her dad, and that he was not reachable.

He stated that another associate reached out to him and asked for his help in getting across to KSA to book him for an event.

According to Olaleye, he tried different means of getting across to KSA but all were to no avail.

He added, “Curiously, everyone who could reach KSA at a dial could not anymore. And at that point, I gave up and continued with my life of hustling…”

Source: PUNCH