What I saw at Iyana-Oworo

What I saw at Iyana-Oworo
(‘Lanre Fatokun)
About 6:30 am, on the way to work. there was the maroon-coloured Camry which Nigerians call “Big-for-nothing”.
Gun-toting policemen were around; a couple of them with 3 women-in-suit, in front of the car, everyone appeared to be making calls.
As we drew closer, I saw the young man at the wheels. He was asleep, slumped to the right over the gear, held back by the seat-belt.
Then I  saw the shattered side glass! He was not asleep, he was dead! Shot by robbers.
It was a cold morning in November 2011; Iyana-Oworo, Lagos, Nigeria.
I announced in my staffbus, “The driver is dead; he was shot!”
In my mind, I left the bus. I went back to september 2011.
I drove all the way from Lagos to Ife (about 200km) with a friend and his wife. I implored them to let’s make positive and Godly confessions about our future all the way to Ibadan. We did so, guided by a CD of positive confessions.
Thank God we did!
On the way back from Ife, we stoppped at Ibadan to see my parents, and sisters.
As we neared Sagamu, at about 110 km/h, 3 vehicles made dangerous U-turns in front of us. They literarily parked us.
As I was dodging them, and wondering “what’s up”, we saw gun men in black running towards us! I parked, opened the door and dived with my friends running after . . . into the bush!
We are alive to tell the story.
And while we, like our National Leadership, could appear helpless and only condemn the spate of insecurity in the nation, “what I saw at Iyana-Oworo” gave me another perspective:
I dint qualify myself to be alive.
I thought, “the robbers came, left the car but went with his life!”
“No! His life is not with them!”
“He could even be in heaven in which case, he has lost nothing!”
Then I wondered, “Then, what is life?!”
My conclusion: AN OPPORTUNITY!
His opportunity was rudely summarized!
An opportunity to make a difference, to redeem a situation; comfort those who mourn, feed the hungry, guide the erring and present God to the forlorn!
What if he hadn’t done much?
What if he hadn’t started?
What if . . .?
What if not?!
What about me?
How much have I done?
How long more do I have?
And you?
The popular verse “Redeeming the time” is also translated “Making the most of every opportunity.”

What I saw at Iyana-Oworo made me to see that life should be lived for a course!