Five minutes of ''hell'' journey to Aiyetoro

 

Reporter's Diary:

 Five minutes  of ‘Hell’ journey to  Aiyetoro

L-R:Jide Tububo, Taiwo Abiodun and other passengers in the canoe from Aiyetoro to Ugboland seashore

L-R:Jide Tububo, Taiwo Abiodun praying , with other passengers

L-R:Jide Tububo, Taiwo Abiodun and other passengers in the canoe

Taiwo Abiodun who  visited Aiyetoro town , in Ondo state narrated his experience  on water.

The journey from Lagos to Ore was smooth. And again , the journey from Ore, Okitipupa , Igbokoda and  to Ugboland was relatively  fair. But as  I arrived  Ugboland seashore in Ilaje Local government  and sighted   canoes, children,    mothers who  strapped their babies on their backs and also 

toddlers in the canoes I then  developed goose pimples.  I shrank and urinated in my pant.

   Once again I   glanced at   the Atlantic Ocean  and saw    an area  that was  still, and immovable. This murky  river  pretended to be still, yet  moving slowly.   And when   I saw and felt  the  bubbles of the waves ,I gave a heavy sigh.

 Then I remembered my family   far away. I looked at the sky , and shook my head. I quickly  remembered some of  my   good and  two –faced  friends who are like the Greek mythological Janus. I remembered those  who had offended me and  I  forgave them  all   when  I remembered the Lord’s prayer that we should forgive  our debtors  .I remembered the good jokes and the nice times we had together .  Different thoughts flooded my mind. I now know that life is sweet.

 But now it is   either head or tail. Yes, it is   either success or failure.  I told my professional colleague and childhood friend Jide Tububo [ aka Modulo]who accompanied me   that we should turn back,  but he insisted  and said  ‘’Taiye,  no going back!’’. 

I then   remembered   Alexander the Great  , the  Macedonian King who     during  the Peloponnesian War  went to break the bridge and told his soldiers that  there was  no going back, he asked them to summon courage and fought gallantly .The troops  eventually won the war..

I went to  the woman selling local gin‘ogogoro’ by the seashore and   took  four, five shots to dwarf my cowardice and then called my Editors to tell them where I was.  I called my twin brother, Kehinde who is   far away in  Canada where I was.  I called my wife and children too . I  called Engineer Olanipekun Adebeye in Owo to inform other friends on   the journey  I had embarked on. Then I  jumped  into the canoe.

 As the sea man started the engine, I  became a Born- Again Christian  and in a jiffy  I  started reciting Psalms 23, 16, and 91 as my wife instructed me on phone. I now knew the value of a wife and a woman in one’s life.  I  begged God for forgiveness. I then remembered that   it  has been long I  went  to church.  I now believed there is a place called hell,  the hottest place .  I soliloquised like a mad man and other passengers   on board  were  staring  at me .They looked   at me as a novice or new comer or an  idiot. Yes, call me any name by now , label me or tag me whatever you like, my mouth has become sealed  without using gum. Now   the canoe took off , it first started  moving slowly and I then remembered that I had no life s jacket!,  When I demanded for one , they all burst into laughter. I  now know that I was doing the FIRST thing LAST!

Now in the middle  of the deep blue sea  I could see and feel the sea waves and  the  splashing water  and  its foaming but  when the boat kept on speeding  and bouncing   and tilting sideways ,  I became a prayer warrior and started to speak in tongue. I sang Bob Marley’s  Redemption song of Old Pirate  ,Yes  they rob I , sold I to the Merchant ships minutes after they took I  from the bottomless pit , but my hand was made strong by the hand of the Almighty ........the songs of Freedom.....As another boat sped by and  rocked our own boat my heart pumped the more, I started another song:   Oh, Please don’t you rock my boat , Don’t rock my boat , cause I  don’t  want my boat to be rocking ......

  I looked backward and saw the torrents of water moving slowly. I looked   sideways  and saw water. At the front   was endless water that comfortably stayed where they are. And again I remembered the late Afro King    Fela  Anikulapo Kuti’s song that, Trouble dey sleep jeje, yanga go wake am.

Then the engine stopped abruptly on the sea, and I screamed ’’ I am in trouble’’. But   nobody blinked   an eye. And I remembered   the last  words  of Jesus Christ on the cross ‘it is finished’.  I looked at my ceramic- built wrist watch and asked when we would get to our destination   which I had been told would not last than five minutes, but   nobody answered me. I was like a moron, a buffoon and idiot.  The man started the engine again and we sped   off. We   eventually berth at 6.59pm and I shouted   hallelujah.

 As I  made  effort to jump out of  the boat and land on the sea shore  I almost  fell back  into the river but  I quickly    held unto a  pole.  I ran out and was free .I later went to take bottles of beer to celebrate my   safely arrival while my friend lighted his Rothmans cigarette   and smoked like chimney, unperturbed.

 But in the night during our discussion with some youths they warned us that we should have put on  life jackets as many people had  drown and apart from that , the river had been dredged and has become deeper.  Again, on hearing this I could not sleep throughout the   night. I went to the toilet 20 times and pee 30 times like a diabetic patient. I started having night mares .

Despite  my sleepless night.  I remembered the late  D.O Fagunwa, a Yoruba novelist that  I have written a lot about  on how he fell into  River Niger in Bida . I thought of my family members again across the Atlantic Ocean . I thought of my friends and jokes.  Again, I remembered   the last words of Jesus Christ on the cross ‘it is finished’.

I had my bath at 5.00am   in the hotel we lodged. I went out again and took ogogoro gin to suppress my fear.  In the morning I fell into a pool of water which I believed was   due to the ogogoro I had taken or my   nightmares or bad  signals or premonition of what  will happen.   I now remembered Patience Saduwa a professional colleague  in the office who used to tease me in the office that if I wanted  to marry her I should  go and swim across river  Ethiope in Delta State. I thought of the people living in Riverine Area , people in Lagos who pass through Carter Bridge and Third Mainland bridge on daily basis but cannot swim yet the   government did not provide  any safety measures for anybody or train Lagosians   the rudiments of  swimming  as  a caring and good government should.

We sailed again at Ugboland , and  I became happy.

Now  , I started ruminating over many things:What if  I had drown? , our paper will give me an obituary page.  Many will say curiosity kills the cat , Babalawo of The Nation is dead.  He went to look for news and died there.  People would say he was looking for award- winning story but   what  of before they discovered my body? They would have searched  and searched  for my body which would have been  heavily bloated like a balloon .  Who will travel a  7- hour journey to attend my burial  by the sea side?

  Eventually some would say they  had buried  the Alakori [ the idiot] boy by the river side.

  Since my return from Aiyetoro town I have been having sleepless nights seeing the great risk i took by crossing the sea without life safety jackets . Again seeing  able- bodied, educated, enlightened  and healthy graduates who  turned to  fishermen overnight  while the  Federal  and state government are watching.  

This is a town that produces petroleum yet nothing to show for it . No news about  the NDDC’s stolen funds o f N67 billion again yet there is no sign that the area is enjoying the money from OMPADEC. Now, Political jamboree is going on in Ondo State and  in Abuja  by the Federal Government.  Who will blame this youths  if they  become criminals?. I would have become a militant   if  ……….

 Now, I  know why Adaka Boro and Ken Saro- Wiwa were fighting .The federal government is drilling oil from these communities yet not developed and the water is polluted and no employment for their children . This is cheating .A slap on their faces.

When I  remembered that I forgot my cell phone charger in the hotel room where I passed the night  my heart beat increased.  To go back or not to go back and pick it ?  To blazes with   the charger. Even   if I forgot my Blackberry  and the latest i pad - to hell with  them . I am not   only having  hydrophobia   but seeing the unemployed graduates  who are now fishermen  is nauseating, disgusting, and irritating. It is  callous.

When the sad news  of  the drowning of the three Policemen, and INEC officials was reported last week, I felt sorry  for them .My condolence goes to their family members  as my experience on the water  reminded me the lapses the federal and state government had, at least they should have provided the officials life jackets.

If I should go there again  I could spark off revolution against the state and federal government.  I can  even shoot the local Government  chairman.  I  Swear. Shikena