Roland Moses, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has described how he narrowly avoided dying in an auto accident and another prospective one.
Speaking in an interview, the Akwa Ibom native thanked God for sparing his life twice in one day.
“I was coming from Enugu (State) (and travelling) to Akwa Ibom State. I just wanted to come home and rest before returning for service. There was no vehicle to take me from Kogi to Akwa Ibom, so I had to get to Enugu first. When I arrived in Enugu State, I boarded a bus. The driver addressed us well. He said we would get to Akwa Ibom in five or six hours. He also told us that we might be stopped at checkpoints.
As we were moving along Enugu Road, I didn’t know what really happened. I knew the driver was not drunk; he was normal. As we were moving, there was a vehicle, a truck, in front of us and another one behind us. I was talking to someone on the phone and as soon as I ended the call, I decided to relax. But I saw that the driver was approaching the vehicle in front. I remember that the passenger beside him told him to apply the brakes. I didn’t know whether the brakes failed but all I heard was, “Jesus! Jesus!” Suddenly, our bus hit the vehicle in front.
Everybody came out except one man that sat in front. I think the shattered windscreen must have injured him. Later, a vehicle coming from Abuja got to where we were and the driver offered to give us a lift to Abia State. He took us to Abia State and I boarded another vehicle belonging to the same company. When I bought my ticket, I asked the driver about the condition of the vehicle and he said everything was okay. He said he was about to move and was even waiting for a few passengers.
On our way to Akwa Ibom, I noticed that the man was struggling with the brakes and I and a few other passengers told him to drive slowly but the man did not say anything. He told us not to teach him how to drive the vehicle but I told him that I experienced a crash a few hours earlier and had the right to tell him to drive carefully. He managed to control the vehicle and came out of it and told us the brakes failed. I was shocked. The another vehicle from the same bus company! It was not my first time travelling with the bus company, so I was really surprised! I just gave thanks to God.”
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