The late Olabode Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist, who was killed by a lion at the Obafemi Awolowo University Zoological Garden was reportedly on N5,000 monthly hazard allowance.
The latter is extra money paid to workers involved in dangerous jobs.
The Chairman of the National Association of Academic Technologists in the institution, an association the deceased was a memeber, Mr Matthew Oluwaniyi, disclosed this in an interview with Punchng.
“His own hazard allowance was N5,000 per month then. They were supposed to re-evaluate it to meet up with the N30,000 as agreed by the union but that process was on probably till his death,” Oluwaniyi told the publication.
He also shared an insider knowledge of how Olawuyi met his end at the hands of the nine-year-old male lion, describing him as a hero worthy of immortalisation.
His word, “He died a hero. As a natural human being, when we see such kind of a thing, the next thing for us is to run away from that place and start calling for help. But Mr Olawuyi did not run away and leave the worker that was trapped in the lion’s den.
“He immediately approached the worker and ensured he rescued her. So, it was such a heroic act that he did not even consider the fact that the lion might turn around to attack him, but he was more after preserving the life of the other person.
“It is akin to what Jesus did. Mr Olawuyi died for a junior worker under him who was initially attacked. He took over to rescue the woman.”
