By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

A heroic man is not an individual who does not sense terror, but one who triumphs over it.

THIS is precisely the realism that Mr. Ejiro Otarigho, a petroleum tanker driver, displayed on June 10, 2022, when, face-to-face with horror, he put his life on the line to avert a disaster that would have claimed the lives of residents and consumed properties in the densely populated Agbarho town in the Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.

Rather than stop and flee when his heavy-duty vehicle, which exploded and burst into flames on the East-West Road at Agbarho town, Otarigho, a former photographer, considered the wellbeing of his fellow humans, jeopardised his life, as he drove the smoldering vehicle to the outskirts of Agbarho to pass up a catastrophe.

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At the risk of his life, Otarigho, born in 1976 in the ancient city of Benin, Edo State, and who attended Oliha Primary School and Useh Secondary School, both in Benin City, defied the raging inferno that engulfed the tanker, just after he deposited fuel at a petrol station in the community, and steered it to a location at the bank of a river in the Agbarho axis of the East-West Road.

From the Water Board Street Junction of the town, where he noticed the fire, Otarigho drove for over 20 minutes, navigating through the ever-busy Five Junction and other streets in the community, with the desire to save the lives of the panic-struck residents being the only thing on his mind.

“The overwhelming thought in me was, ‘Ejiro, don’t stop; if you stop this truck, there will be a disaster; people will die and properties will be destroyed. Let it be between me and the truck; take this truck straight to Agbarho River at the expressway’.

“That was when I started to speed towards the bank of the river, and the fire was burning as I was going. At that time, it was getting dark; the time was past 7 p.m., and people were shouting.

“It took me about 20 minutes to get to the safe place. In the end, I was able to pull the truck to the side of the river, where it got consumed in the inferno,” he said.

 On how he felt about his family while driving the flaming tanker, he said, “At that time, with the situation on the ground, the only thing that was on my mind was how I could save lives.

“Now, l feel very fulfilled because l did not die at the end and nobody died.”

Since his June 10, 2022, exploit, Otarigho, an indigene of the Ughrughelli-Agbarho community, who left his photography vocation for driving, has received numerous awards from the Delta State Government and other organisations for his exemplary courage.

Other honours include NUPENG Ambassador and Silent Hero of Humanity from the Nigerian Silent Heroes. Lately, the Osuivie of Agbarho, HRM Samson Ogugu, conferred on him a traditional chieftaincy title as the Ogbaudu of Agbarho kingdom, while the Agbarho-Urhobo Improvement Union, AUIU, honored him with a medal of bravery, selflessness, patriotism, and humanity.

It is for the enumerated reasons and more that Vanguard Media Limited also honours Chief Ejiro Otarigho, a kind-hearted soul and consummate hero who puts the lives of others above his own, with a Humanitarian Award.