The bereaved father mentioned this during an interview, adding that the late corps member was dear to “everyone around including church, school and at work.”
Femi Aina, the father of Oreoluwa Aina, a National Youth Service Corps member who died on Thursday when a Lagos State Government staff bus collided with a train in the PWD area, said his daughter was preparing for a master’s degree in the United Kingdom, UK, after completing her service year prior to the tragic incident.
The bereaved father mentioned this during an interview, adding that the late corps member was dear to “everyone around including church, school and at work.”
The recklessness of the BRT bus driver was confirmed as the cause of the fatal accident that occurred in Lagos on Thursday.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, the Acting Zonal Coordinator, South West Zonal Office, (NEMA), had confirmed this to SaharaReporters in a WhatsApp message, saying the bus driver ignored a warning signal given by Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) flag officers.
“2 NRC flag Officers was reportedly tried to stop the driver of the bus from crossing but it was said that the driver ignored the drictive and drove into the rail,” the message had said.
The accident led to the death of eight people, including Oreoluwa Aina and staff of Lagos Government with several injured passengers.
Speaking with PUNCH, Oreoluwa’s father said, “She was preparing to go to the United Kingdom for her Master’s programme after her youth service ends in May, but unfortunately, all her plans had been dashed. She happened to be the first grandchild of my parents and she stayed with my mum here in Lagos because our dad passed away last year, so she had always been with her grandmother. She was dear to everyone around including church, school and at work. Her death is a great loss.”
28-year-old Oreoluwa was buried on Saturday at the Atan cemetery, Lagos.
Her father continued: “I was in Abuja watching the television around 9 am when I saw the incident. An hour after that, I got a call that my daughter was involved in it. That was when I knew what I saw on TV was actually happening to me. Then I immediately called my younger brother and sister in Lagos. I later received two more calls in another 10 minutes and by then, she was already in the ICU (intensive care unit). They were attending to her and at the same time calling me from there. I even heard some of the staff members praying for her. So, I rushed to the airport to get any available flight back to Lagos but when my plane was ready to take off by 4 pm, I was told that she had passed away.”
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
