Less than an hour when Prof. Lai Oso called his wife to tell her that he was hungry and that she should get food ready for him to eat at home in Sagamu, the unexpected happened, the vehicle he was travelling in plunged into a river near Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
He called the wife when they got to Benin on their way from the Delta State University, Abraka where Oso had gone to serve as an external examiner for a doctoral student.
A source, who was at the deceased’s house in Sagamu on Sunday, also said the driver of the vehicle reportedly dozed off on the wheel and the vehicle skidded off the Sagamu-Ore Expressway to plunge into the river.
Oso was sitting in the front with the driver, while three other persons were at the back.
It was gathered that because the deceased and the driver put on seat belts, it was difficult for them to free themselves and get out of the sport utility vehicle. They both died, while those at the back seat survived.
Meanwhile, the family of the late professor has fixed July 13 and 14, this year for the burial ceremony.
Oso, a professor of Mass Communication, was until his death a lecturer at the Lagos State University, LASU.
Before then, he had lectured for many years at the then Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, which is now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic where he rose to become the Head of Department of Mass Communication.
As at the time of filing this report, the management of LASU has not issued any official reaction to the incident.