The Nigerian Senate has decided to honour Mr. Ejiro Otarigho, the diesel tanker driver who averted a major fire outbreak in Agbarho, Ughelli north local government area of Delta State.
This followed a motion moved by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District under All Progressives Congress (APC) and co-sponsored by Senator James Manager, the Senator representing Delta South Senatorial District under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (APC) Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly (NASS), during plenary.
The incident happened last Friday when Ejiro drove the burning truck for 25 minutes from a densely populated area to Agbarho River where the tanker was completely razed by the inferno.
The act was captured by onlookers and had gone viral.
Rising under Order 45 and 52 of the Senate Standing Order 2021 (as amended), Senator Omo-Agege stressed that but for Ejiro’s courage, a major fire disaster which would have claimed several lives and property could have happened in his senatorial district.
The Delta Central lawmaker noted that Ejiro’s “extraordinary display of courage, reflex application of special driving skills, and huge risk to his own life, prevented a huge national tragedy and catastrophe by driving a burning tanker loaded with inflammable petroleum products from residential areas to safety so that thousands of our people may not die in an inferno that would also have consumed so much property in Agbarho, Delta State on Friday, June 10, 2022.”
The driver’s audacious act of heroism, he stressed, has saved the nation from national tragedy and mourning.
Accordingly, the Senate resolved to “invite Mr. Ejiro Otarigho to the chamber of the Senate for public commendation by the President of the Senate, Most Distinguished Senator (Dr.) Ibrahim Lawan;
“Recommend Mr. Ejiro Otarigho to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, 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.”
President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who presided over plenary, hailed the driver for risking his life to drive the burning truck out of residential area to save lives.
It would be recalled that Ejiro, in a rare act of bravery, had last week driven a burning tanker from a populated area to avert what could have been a tragic fire disaster.
