It’s been over 60 years since Nigeria gained independence from British colonialism. The country has celebrated heroes who made independence happen. However, some uncelebrated heroes and heroines have played some roles in Nigeria that most people have overlooked. Some of them lost their lives in the process.
Therefore, Skabash presents six uncelebrated heroes and heroines that saved lives in Nigeria.
Uncelebrated heroes in Nigeria
Ejiro Otarigho
Ejiro Otarigho is the brave driver who risked his life to move a burning diesel tanker from a densely populated residential area to a less populated area. The incident happened in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State on Friday, June 10, 2022. He drove the truck from a petrol station in Agbarho through the ever-busy East-West road, thereby averting a mass casualty that would have resulted from the raging tanker fire.
Witnesses said the heroic driver, who barely got married four months ago, drove the truck to the outskirts of Agbarho riverside, where it burst into flames while he jumped out unhurt and fled. Videos of Otarigho driving the burning truck went viral on social media, with many, including Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, praising him for his bravery and selflessness. They said he deserved a national award.
About N490,000 had been reportedly contributed so far into the First Bank account of Otarigho, which has been tagged ‘Bravery Fund for Ejiro.’ Donations will last for 30 days and end on July 11. Meanwhile, Otarigho has said he doesn’t want a national honor but a new tanker.
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Joseph Blankson
Joseph Blankson was a Nigerian contractor who died after he saved 13 people from a boat accident on the Abonnema-Bakana waterway in Rivers State. The incident happened on July 28, 2018, when a boat carrying 25 passengers left Abonnema Wharf for Bakana. Blankson and his sister were among the passengers as they were traveling to Bakana for a funeral.
It rained heavily, which eventually caused the boat to capsize. Blankson swam in and out of the river to rescue 13 people. He was making the 14th attempt when he drowned as a result of exhaustion. He was reported to be the only casualty in the accident. His body was recovered the following day and buried the same day in the river according to customs over drowning. He was survived by a wife and two children.
Following his bravery and death, then-senate president Bukola Saraki and former vice president Atiku Abubakar both tweeted their praises for Blankson’s heroic act. Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike promised to support Blankson’s family. On October 2, 2021, President Muhammad Buhari honored Blankson with the “Presidential Special Award for Bravery and Patriotism,” which was received by his wife and children.
Imam Abdullahi Abubakar
Imam Abdullahi Abubakar was the Islamic cleric who saved about 300 people, mostly Christians, from a suspected Fulani herdsmen attack in Plateau State on June 23, 2018. He risked his life by shielding them in his mosque in Nghar village in Gashish District. However, the assailants caught up with the Imam and forcefully demanded that he release those who were Christians in the mosque. The cleric revealed he deceived the bandits, telling them that all the people in the mosque were Muslims. On hearing this, the attackers left to continue the killing elsewhere.
Abubakar’s bravery garnered attention not just in Nigeria but globally. The United States Mission in Nigeria honored the Islamic cleric “in recognition of achievement and service to Nigeria and Nigerians” and described him as a “peace builder” who put his “faith into action” by securing the lives of people of other religions.
In addition, President Mohammadu Buhari gave the octogenarian a national honor and appointed him a member of the National Ulama committee that provides spiritual guidance to Nigerian pilgrims in the Holy Land.
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Emmy Toms
Emmy Toms was the young man who rescued some school children during the explosion which occurred in the Sabon Gari area of Kano State on May 17, 2022. The police reported a gas cylinder had exploded, which caused a building to collapse, trapping people inside. Emmy Toms maneuvered his way through the collapsed building and rescued some kids that were trapped inside. News of his bravery trended on social media, where he received a lot of accolades.
Uncelebrated heroines in Nigeria
Ameyo Adadevoh
Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh was a Nigerian physician who has been credited for curbing the wider spread of the Western African Ebola virus epidemic in Nigeria. She achieved this by placing the patient zero, Patrick Sawyer, in quarantine despite pressure from the Liberian government. The Liberian government had wanted her to release the patient so that he could attend a business conference in Calabar, but she refused.
Adadevoh led the team that oversaw Sawyer’s treatment where they created an isolation area, despite the lack of protective equipment. A wooden barricade was raised outside Sawyer’s door. Adadevoh’s heroic deed was timely as doctors were on strike, which could have been catastrophic for Nigerians if the dreaded virus was allowed to spread.
Unfortunately, Adadevoh was in quarantine from the Ebola virus on August 14, 2014, in Lagos, Nigeria. Her body was decontaminated and cremated by the government while her family obtained her ashes and held a private ceremony on September 12, 2014. Her heroic acts inspired the award-winning movie 93 Days, and a road in Abuja, Ameyo Adadevo Way, was named after her.
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Henrietta Alokha
Sister Henrietta Alokha was the administrator at Bethlehem Girls College, Abule Ado, who died while rescuing students trapped in the boarding school during an explosion in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state. A mass celebration was ongoing in the school when the incident happened on March 16, 2020. Alokha reportedly helped trapped students escape from the scene but couldn’t make it out alive.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a truck had hit gas cylinders around the corporation’s pipeline right of way, which triggered the explosion. Over 50 houses, including the school, were affected as well as several cars in the area. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) reported that 17 people died while 25 were injured.
In conclusion, Nigeria is blessed with selfless individuals who did not allow the ills of society to taint their humanity. The world may not give them their due recognition and accolades, but their heroic deeds will always be remembered for whose lives they have impacted positively.
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