OAU student who drowned in pool was an expert swimmer and trainer - Hotel management

The management of of the Hilton Hotel, where a 300Level Pharmacy student of Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU) student died, said the deceased was a good swimmer and trainer.

Emmanuel Fatile drowned inside the swimming pool on Sunday, June 18. He had gone to the hotel with two friends and after they were done, he entered the pool again to swim alone but this time, he drowned.

The other students called for help but those present could not swim. By the time a lifeguard arrived, it was too late. He was confirmed dead by doctors at the hospital.

The General Manager of the hotel, Mr John Olalekan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ile-Ife that the deceased, had initially completed his swimming before going back into the pool. He said all efforts to save Fatile, who came in company with two friends to the hotel, proved abortive.

"I want to put it straight that our swimming pool is fenced and secure. The person that died inside the swimming pool was an expert and a trainer himself," said Olalekan.

"He usually teaches other people how to swim. He had already completed swimming; he came out and went back inside the pool again. It is only God that can tell what happened. It is not explainable. If he was an amateur that came to swim, we couldn’t have allowed him to swim without using the floaters and tubes.

"We even give experts tubes. I think it is the wish of God. It is an unfortunate thing. This is the first time such will be happening. No one has died in our hotel before," he said.