Three Journalists Dead aftermath of road crash.

Gov. Aregbesola offers to pay bills 

of 10 journalists in road crash

Journalists have described the death of three journalists in Osun on Friday as shocking and a great loss to the nation.

The dead journalists are Olatunde Ojenike of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Ibadan, Adolphus Okonkwo, Champion Newspapers, and Kafayat Odunsi of Nigeria Television Authority.

Ten others sustained injuries in the accident, which occurred near Ilesha in Osun State, and are receiving treatment at  Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.

The journalists were returning to their bases from a national assignment  of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), which held in Abuja on Thursday.

Among the injured are the chairmen of Oyo and Lagos state councils of NUJ, Gbenga Opadokun and Deji Elumoye respectively as well as Fatimah Abdulkareem, the National Treasurer.

The Osun Chairman of NUJ, Mr Abiodun Olalere, who confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the survivors were in stable conditions.

NAN learnt that the accident occurred when the driver lost control after the tyre of the vehicle in which the journalists were travelling burst at about 7p.m  near Ilesha on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway.

The National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Shuibu Leman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that  ``it was a sad moment for the union and the nation as a whole.’’

The Chairman of NUJ, Abuja Council, Mr Chucks Ehirim, said, ``it was indeed a great shock as the three late journalists were very alive and active on Thursday at a meeting of the union.

``We are all shocked by the incident. They were our colleagues and we were all together in the meeting till late on Thursday. It is unfortunate because they died in union activities.’

Meanwhile, Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of Osun has offered to pay the medical bills of 10 journalists injured in an auto accident near Ilesha, Osun, on Friday night.