Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District in Nigeria’s National Assembly, has expressed deep sympathy with British-Nigerian heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, following a fatal road accident that claimed the lives of two of his close friends during a visit to Nigeria.
The tragic crash occurred around midday on Monday, 29 December 2025, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, one of Nigeria’s busiest intercity highways linking Lagos, the country’s commercial capital, with Ibadan, a major city in southwestern Nigeria. The accident involved a Toyota Lexus sport utility vehicle conveying Joshua and three other occupants.
Okay News reports that two passengers lost their lives in the crash and were later identified as Ayodele Kelvin Olu, a 36-year-old Nigerian-British citizen, and Gami Sina, a 36-year-old British citizen. Both men were said to be close associates of the boxing star and had travelled with him to Nigeria.
In a condolence message released on Tuesday, 30 December 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan described the incident as “heart-wrenching and unacceptable,” while condemning the recurring loss of lives on Nigerian highways due to poor enforcement of traffic regulations and weak emergency response structures.
She said, “My heart goes out to Anthony Joshua at this very painful time. Losing two close friends in such a tragic manner is devastating. I pray that God grants him strength and comfort, and that the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”
Beyond offering condolences, the senator used the incident to renew her call for urgent national reforms on road safety, stressing that many highway deaths in Nigeria are avoidable with proper planning, enforcement, and infrastructure.
According to her, “Nigerian highways have become corridors of sorrow. This tragedy once again reminds us that road safety in Nigeria is not optional; it is a matter of life and death.”
She specifically urged the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria’s lead agency responsible for traffic management and safety enforcement, to strengthen its operations across the country, warning that weak compliance and lax monitoring have contributed significantly to fatal accidents.
“Rules without enforcement are meaningless. The Federal Road Safety Corps must be empowered and compelled to fully enforce road safety regulations across all highways in Nigeria, without fear or favour,” she said.
The lawmaker also called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to invest in properly equipped vehicle rest-in stations and lay-bys along major highways, noting that driver fatigue remains a major cause of long-distance crashes.
She added, “No driver should be forced to drive endlessly without a safe place to rest. Well-equipped vehicle rest stations must be deliberately created across our highways to reduce exhaustion-induced crashes.”
In addition, Akpoti-Uduaghan advocated the establishment of a dedicated Highway Emergency Rescue Team, complete with ambulances, trauma care units, and trained rapid-response personnel stationed along key road corridors.
“Many lives are lost not only because of accidents but because help does not arrive on time. Nigeria urgently needs a functional highway emergency rescue system that can respond within minutes, not hours,” she stated.
She concluded by urging policymakers to treat road safety as a national emergency, stressing that meaningful reforms could save thousands of lives annually.
“This tragedy should not be another headline we forget tomorrow. It must be a turning point for serious highway safety reforms in Nigeria,” she added.
The condolence message came less than twenty-four hours after Simon Field, Deputy Head of Mission of the British High Commission in Nigeria, visited Joshua at a hospital in Lagos where he was receiving medical treatment.
Following the accident, Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State in southwestern Nigeria, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, also visited the hospital to assess the situation and ensure the boxer received adequate care.
Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was briefed on the incident and was said to have spoken separately with Joshua, his mother, and Governor Abiodun to express his sympathies and condolences.
