Otarigho, the courageous driver

WHAT would have been a major fire disaster was averted in  Agbarho community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State recently when the driver of a petrol tanker, Ejiro Otarigho, drove his burning vehicle to a riverside before it was engulfed in flames. According to eyewitnesses, the driver drove almost five hundred metres with the burning tanker before jumping out of it. Ejiro had just offloaded some of the contents of the tanker and was heading towards another point when tragedy struck. Leaving nothing to chance, he told his assistant to get off the vehicle, then sped away amidst panic by onlookers. He said: “There was just one thought on my mind and that was to plunge the burning tanker into a river nearby. My assistant was the one who alerted me to the fact that our tanker was on fire. It was a scary ball of fire. My intention was to drive into the river. When I got there, the steering got stuck and I couldn’t control the vehicle any further. If I drove straight ahead, the truck might fall and that could cause another problem. So, I just had to park in the open space.” The tanker was destroyed, but lives had been saved and properties preserved.

Following his act of bravery, members of the Red Chamber resolved to “invite Mr. Ejiro Otarigho to the Chamber of the Senate for public commendation by the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad  Lawan, and to recommend Mr. Ejiro Otarigho to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR…for a befitting National Honour as Mr. President may deem fit for his extraordinary act of bravery, courage and skill that prevented the loss of human lives and property on a massive scale.” This was a sequel to a  motion by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, which was co-sponsored by Senator James Manager and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi. On its part, the Delta State government gave Otarigho N2 million, a letter of commendation and a plaque. This, the government said, was in recognition of “his bravery and heroism in averting a major disaster that could have resulted in the death of many in the area.”

To be sure, the honours bestowed on Mr. Otarigho so far have been well deserved. It takes great courage to drive a burning tanker away from a densely populated community and struggle to plunge it into a river in order to save lives and properties. With his quick thinking, apparent love for the community and an unusual willingness to risk his life for a good cause, Otarigho took a heroic step which will linger in people’s memory for a great while. Witnesses recorded the episode from the point of combustion to Agbarho river where Otarigho finally stopped the tanker and jumped out, abandoning it to burn. Truly, not all heroes wear capes.

We salute Mr. Otarigho for his bravery and salute the Senate for its  proposed commendation. We also commend the Delta State government for rewarding the ennobling act. In the same vein, we hope that his wish for a replacement truck will be fulfilled. We note, however, that the constant truck fires that cost the country so much damage would hardly happen if fuel were moved by rail and through dedicated routes. It cannot be a thing of joy that every time, Nigerians are being exposed to danger via fuel trucks. The fact is widely known that most Nigerian roads are in a deplorable state. This, coupled with the fact that many of the drivers of articulated vehicles, including fuel tankers, behave as if they are under the influence of drugs, makes tanker fires a real possibility any time. That being the case, it is apposite to ask when the government plans to stop tanker fires on Nigerian roads. Fuel is safely conveyed in other countries of the world and there’s no reason why Nigeria cannot learn from them. If anything, the government should do everything it can to prevent the regular tanker fires that take place on Otedola bridge, Lagos. Only last month, a vehicle laden with 45,000 litres of petrol tumbled on the bridge, causing multiple vehicular collisions. Nigerians will never forget the massive fire that broke out on the bridge on June 28, 2018, during which nine persons were killed and a total of 54 vehicles burnt.

It is true that the government has had to contend with burst fuel pipelines for long, but that is no reason to continue the current practice of conveying fuel from, say, Lagos to Minna, in tankers. Conveying fuel through tankers from city to city is infinitely dangerous. It is not all the time that the country is going to have an Otarigho driving a burning tanker away from danger. There may be no river next time, even if there is yet another courageous driver.

Nonetheless we salute Mr. Otarigho’s altruism. He was so intent on saving lives and he did. He is a hero. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours.