A Nigerian driver drove a flaming tanker out of a Delta State community on June 11, winning plaudits for his heroism.
Dramatic footage of the incident shows the flaming tanker being driven at speed along a road through a community.
Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa named the driver as Ejiro Otarigho. In a statement, the governor said the tanker was laden with diesel when it caught fire in the Agbarho community.
“But for the uncommon bravery and heroism” of the driver, Otarigho, the governor said, “houses and probably lives, would have been lost to the inferno.”
There have been a number of accidents in Nigeria where tankers or makeshift refineries have burst into flames, causing great loss of life.
“We were delighted to hear of the gallantry of the driver who took the initiative and risk to drive the tanker away from densely populated area to a secluded area before the tanker finally exploded,” the governor said.
“In a country plagued by challenges of varying dimensions, such acts of bravery are commendable and worthy of emulation.
“As a government, we thank Otarigho for this great act of putting the lives of others first before his, and we thank God for saving him from the inferno. We are proud of you and we urge other Deltans and Nigerians to emulate your heroic acts in all their activities.”
Otarigho, in comments to various media outlets, said he had driven to the river and jumped out.
Yesterday in Agbarho Town, Delta State, a truck driver, Mr Ejiro Otarigho put his life on the line, by driving a burning fuel truck from a busy area to a safer place, to avert casualties.
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