Yesterday I pondered again on how things could change in a second. How one could transit from life to death in a second and leave others shocked about how fickle life is!
This is the rainy season in Nigeria. With the rains come flooded roads especially the southern part of Nigeria.Uyo, Akwa Ibom State is no exception. Residents know some roads are no go areas when it rains. IBB Avenue, Uyo is one of such roads.
I had to attend a symposium at IBB avenue, Uyo yesterday so I defied the rain and the resultant flood to be there.
I met colleagues at the symposium, exchanged pleasantries and had a good time. When It was time to go, something remarkable happened that makes me shiver everytime I remember it.
IBB is a dual carriage way which means traffic goes in one direction. I know that like the palm of my hand because I use that road six days in a week. The rains usually leave a large flooded area on the road that is a terror to drivers and vehicles. People usually meander to get through but yesterday, drivers on that road changed their minds and I almost got knocked down by an oncoming tricycle.
You see, I wanted to cross the road ( I had crossed it that morning) and looked towards the direction where traffic usually comes from. When I was sure it was clear, I attempted to cross. At that moment I heard shouts. I had checked one direction because I thought I knew that road like my palm but a small change had occured. Due to the flood most drivers decided to drive against the direction of traffic. As a result, a tricycle almost snuffed the life out of me!
I'm still shaken. I'm still imagining what would have happened if it was a car. Would I be injured? Would I be alive?Would the people who saw me minutes ago find it hard to believe? I can't tell.
I'm glad I'm still alive with no scratch. I'm still shaken when I relieve the memory.Now I understand why Nigerians double check even though everything seems alright. The Nigerian factor carries with it a great deal of uncertainty!
