Gisting With Ayo Aminu On How He Escaped Death By The Whiskers

Ayo Aminu Ten people died in the accident. Seven gave up the ghost immediately the ghastly occurrence happened. The seven were occupants of the Bus that caused the tragic development. Another two from the same vehicle died on the way to the hospital, while the tenth death was recorded in another car that sustained secondary impact.

The accident occurred about mid day on Sunday September 20 2015.

But Ayodele Aminu top journalist and financial consultant whose car suffered primary impact with head on collision with the Bus survived death by the whiskers!

He went into coma with a broken arm, fractured thigh bone and injured.
He blacked out and didn’t know what hit him until over 24hrs later facing a major surgery.
It was a very fine line between life and death he walked

The session wasn’t really planned.

We had postponed the visit twice and the third was on shaky grounds…then Foluso died.

Foluso Samuel, emerging journalist died on the mend from a spell of ill health that took him off the scene while Ayodele Aminu a practitioner who has made his’’ bones’’ survived a tragic multiple motor accident…the irony of life.

Hit by the lax with which we appreciate life, I braved the heavy Monday down pour to seek out survivor Aminu…Monday November 2 2015 that is.

It was meant to be purely a private visit to but the opportunity to ‘’gist’’ turned out too much to pass up.
And we got talking that beautiful Monday afternoon.

He was laying on his bed, face up…a copy each of Telegraph and Sun Newspaper for company.

There was another on the bed, obviously a national paper but turned inside out…the name wasn’t visible from where I sat.

His ceaseless calls from his two phones compete with the newspapers for his attention..with a sheet of paper with some jottings on it playing the role of distractions when there is need to do quick write downs.

For a very active fellow on forceful and prolonged ‘bed rest’, he appeared in to be taking things in good spirit
‘’ You escaped death by the whiskers…how do you feel?, when you learnt what happened what came to you mind’’ I started off with a twin question.

Maintain his position of rest, he turned his face towards me and responded ‘’ Well…I felt given the magnitude of that accident and the number of people that lost their lives, God just decided to give me a second chance’’ stated and paused. He looked briefly at each other, I urged him on with my eyes and as if responding to the about to be asked ‘’Why?” on my mind he continued

‘’Because when you look at the wreckage of that car and you find out that there are some accidents that do occur that are not up to the percent of that wreckage and the occupant do not make it’’

‘’But you made’’ I stated.

‘’Thank God I made it’’ he said in a solemn voice filled with gratitude but laced with memory of what could have been.
‘’what actually happened?’’ I asked for the record.

He took a slow intake of breath and started ‘’Well…I was coming out of Lekki Phase 1 (Lagos state) and this commercial vehicle, a J5 was fully loaded and was on top speed’’ he recounted and switched to third person narration ‘’From what I later gathered it had a problem with its propellers and that the driver lost control and it started somersaulting from the other end to my own side’’ he stated.

And after a small barely noticeable pause went back to first hand narrative ‘’ All I could remember was that I said, look at this vehicle oo and the moment I said that everything just went black..that is all I could remember’’ he recounted and re emphasised ‘’Everything just went black’’.

‘’For like how long?’’ I sought to know
‘’For several hours’’ he responded instantly.
‘’For several hours’’ he state again
‘’So when you came to, you found yourself at the hospital?’’ I prodded
He began with what is turning out his favourite word ‘’Well..the accident happened on Sunday afternoon, but my colleagues and family said I was conversing with them and you know they said so many things that they said I said, but I couldn’t remember saying them not until’’ he dragged the last word and changed his line of thoughts with the next word ‘’I was admitted Sunday and the operation did not take place until Tuesday, and I can say it was after the operation that I really got myself together again, because I remember that it was after that operation that I went to the internet and saw the wreckage of that car’’

He drove a Toyota Corolla according to information sourced by societynowng.com
‘’When you saw the wreckage of the car, what were your thoughts?’’ I queried.
‘’I couldn’t imagine anybody coming out of it alive’’ he stated simply.

And continued ‘’I just couldn’t imagine it. I just thank God for giving me a second chance’’ he ended and switched back to memory lane ‘’even after the car had the head on collision with the vehicle, the force with which that vehicle was coming, my car could not curtail it, so after hitting with seven lives lost instantly…including the driver and the conductor, it still went ahead to hit the vehicle behind me and the driver of the Vehicle survived but the other occupant died..

“Immediately?’’ I broke in

‘’Immediately’’ he confirmed and went on ‘’ making eight people that died on the spot’’ he totalled the numbers of victims of immediate impact and went on with the tragic head count ‘’two others in the same commercial vehicle also died on their way to the hospital…’’

‘’that same day?’’ I broke in again

‘’that same day’’ he affirmed and continued ‘’ so I just told myself, God just decided to give me a second chance’’ he stated

‘’Despite all your past sins’’ I added in a move to lighten the mood

But the man known for his ready smile and sense of humour wasn’t in the frame of mind to lighten anything about what he went through.

‘’Everybody is a sinner’’ he stated categorically and went on in the same tone ‘’If God was to be looking at the wrong things most of us do, I don’t think there will be anybody on this earth and that is why He is merciful’’ he explained

‘’And he has just proved it with this situation as well’’ I stated in agreement with him.

‘’He has’’ the man we call ‘’The Consultant’’ behind his back restated the conviction.

I observed so far in our gisting, his phones had accorded us to respect of privacy and asked ‘’For a man who is agile and very active…being on forceful bed rest like this, how does it feel?’’

He breathed a bit heavy and replied, beginning with his now favourite word ‘’Well, you feel very very bad but at the same time, having gone through all this…having gone through the intensive care unit where everybody was on oxygen and also got to know that atleast two other people inside that intensive care unit where not so lucky to come out alive, then you will begin to appreciate God the more.. that there is live and what they say that when there is live, there is hope and come to see this like an Holiday given to me by God’’

He was calm in delivering his answer- like a man who has really thought things through.

So I asked ‘’So when this Holiday is over, what should we expect to be changed about you based on your experience?’’

‘’Well, when I get back on my feet I will first give thanks giving to God..having gone through what i went through, you will have different perspective about life generally…’’

‘’so what kind of perspective do you have about life generally know’’ I interjected.

He responded with the slightest of pause ‘’I want to become this, I want to become that…that guy has offended me, I can never forgive him..I can never do this, I can never do that, if you see the other side of life, you will understand that it is better to just forgive and forget…that is the way I see life now’’
‘’Seems this experience has made you more religious and spiritually inclined’’ I observed
Still maintaining his posture on the bed, laying down and face up, his face adopted a more serious look as he stated emphatically ‘’Ofcourse’’ and went on ‘’I have to be more closer to God’’ he stated

‘’Because He has done a great thing’’ I attempted a perfect addendum
‘’Yes’’ he concurred and explained ‘’Because I know he has brought me this far and everything that happen is by His grace’’

I tried to imagined the kind of attention the incident would have earned him, taking into consideration how connected he is in and out of the industry and I asked ‘’You must have been bombarded with tons of calls and visits since it happened?’’

And he lightened up a bit as a near replica of his trade mark smile suffused his face ‘’ofcourse for somebody to take is phone to call, wanting to ask about your health…’’ that was how far he got before a call from a concerned friend came on one of his phones.

All through the time I spent with him he didn’t ignore any call. He attended to all and maintained an upbeat image.
I looked at him, he is doing great but he still needs a chunk of rest.

Finished with his phone call we picked up where he left ‘’ it shows a great concern and for others that one way or the other they have not called, all I can say is that for me, I am not annoyed because I know the nature of this our job, especially for those that are desk heads…if you sleep very late as you wake you are thinking of what to use next…story ideas and what have you..it takes a lot, some have done through E-mails, text messages and what have you…but haven gone through the rigours of journalism I understand how it is’’

‘’How soon do you see yourself back on the beat – up and down -hustling and bustling, you know the old man about town?’’ I sought an insight into doctor’s projection

He gave a small laugh and responded ‘’I don’t want to talk about that’’ he dodged as opted for an appeasement response ‘’very soon’’

‘’But am sure you can’t wait to get back on your feet?’’ I persisted

And old hand on the job, he refused to take the bite and stuck to his middle ground answer ‘’Very soon’’

‘’Ok, what do you miss while awaiting your full recovery?’’ I shifted ground.

‘’I miss the news room’’ he stated and restated ‘’I miss the news room’’.

And he went on ‘’ where you fresh stories, not second hand stories…you in the news room there is that kind of excusive feel that is even more than somebody giving you money..I miss that’’ he said with feeling of longing.
‘’Outside of journalism, you don’t miss any other thing?’’ I sought to take him out of his trade

His response was immediate ‘’I miss my friends, hanging out with my friends on Friday or Saturdays’’
‘’And to those friends you miss in and out of the news room, any particular message to them’’ I threw in my last question

‘’They should stay close to God’’ he responded immediately and added ‘’Life is too short not to’’.

Ayo Aminu was on his way from an event organised by Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria, FICAN when the tragic occurrence came to be.