Times there are when the heavens respond to desperate human needs by sending an angel to the rescue. And this is usually when man either refuses to or is incapable of providing the needed help to his fellowman. I was a beneficiary of such a divine intervention on a deserted portion of the Sagamu-Abeokuta road recently.I was on my way to spend a few days in Abeokuta , having started part of my annual leave a week earlier. I had taken all necessary precautions to ensure that my car did not give me any problem during the period and was somehow confident that the journey would be smooth. My confidence was further bolstered by the fact that Abeokuta is just about 100 kilometres from Lagos .

 But about ten minutes after turning off the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, I perceived some noise coming from the front of the car. I ignored it for some time. “What would happen if your tyre pulls off,” an inner voice asked me. That scared me! So against my will, I stopped immediately after a little sleepy village. On the other side of the road were two scruffy-looking young men who cast mean looks at me as I tried to figure out what the problem was. I did not need to be told that this was a dangerous place to stop. I quickly checked my front tyres and was glad that they were okay. I jumped into the car and to my surprise the engine had a problem starting. But with those two young men casting suspicious glances at me, I had no time to think what the problem was. The engine must start, and it did. I zoomed off!

 The noise persisted, so I knew I had to stop again but this time at a convenient place. I prayed silently that the car would at least take me to that ‘convenient place’ before any harm was done. It was obvious at this time that the noise was coming from the engine and it was getting worse by the second. As I pulled off on a deserted portion of the road and opened the engine, what I saw scared me: smoke was oozing from around the fan belt. Although there was scarcely any time to think, I knew this was no place to be. I concluded that this car must either take me to Abeokuta or at least get me to a safe place where I could seek help.As I started the engine again, my eyes went to the temperature gauge! Right before my eyes the needle flew past the half line. I had always been told that the surest way to ruin the engine of the brand of my car was to allow it to overheat, so I increased my speed with the hope that the temperature would recede somehow. But the more I fired the engine, the faster the needle approached the red line. Finally, I concluded that it was no use hoping that this problem would sort itself out. Since I was descending a slope, I did the only reasonable thing to do: turn off the engine. And the farthest the car could take me was the beginning of another hill.

 I pulled off the road and stopped. Apart from the vehicles that zoomed past occasionally, there was no soul in sight. To make matters worse, night was fast approaching and I had no idea how far Abeokuta was from the point the car stopped. My fan belt had cut and the engine had overheated. I tried to call Lagos or Abeokuta but discovered after several efforts that I was outside the coverage area of my network.  For over 25 minutes, I stood beside the car and tried frantically to flag down the vehicles speeding past. I must have looked like a clown to the drivers, and for good reason none of them was ready to stop. I tried to imagine what would happen to me and the car if night met us in that lonely place. The more I tried the more scared I was of what lay ahead.

 After trying fruitlessly for a long time to get help, I decided that since my situation was desperate, it needed a desperate solution. So I moved away from the car, and instead of just trying to flag down on-coming vehicles, I made some frantic moves to appeal for help whenever any vehicle was in sight. This paid off after about ten minutes. A white car with two occupants sped past but stopped about 100 metres away. The driver must have pondered whether or not the risk to stop and help was worth taking. My heart leapt for joy as I saw the reverse lights of the car come on. I ran in the direction of the car, hoping and praying that this driver would not change his mind. Good enough, he did not.

 All I wanted was help to get away from this place, but this man offered to tow my car. The only problem was that there was no rope. He asked if I would not mind removing the seat belt on the back seat of my car. Mind ke? Another problem: no knife to cut the seat belt. This angel went to his car and brought a blade. Then he wanted to know if it was okay to cut the seat belt. Of course, it was okay. One was not long enough, so he wanted to know if it was okay to cut another. Of course, it was okay. Contrary to my expectation, his car was able to pull my car for about 30 minutes before we got to Abeokuta . Only then did I realise the risk Mr. Idowu Adegbite, a lawyer, had taken on my behalf. If you know how hilly parts of that road are, you will understand the risk of towing a car for that long without the necessary support. And he did it all without asking for anything in return.

 As he recounted, he too had had a similar experience on that road. He called for help but before it came he was attacked and robbed. That was why even at a great risk to his own car and life, he stopped to give a helping hand to a total stranger. He did everything possible to ensure that I did not go through the same experience he had gone through.   

Robot  Villager

# 1 Times there are when the heavens respond...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 22.02.2007 12:33

Ajanlekoko  Villager

# 2 Regardless of what we are made to believe, this shows that there are still lots of good people in our country. God bless you, Adegbite. Posted by Ajanlekoko| 22.02.2007 14:34

truthsayer33  Villager

# 3 God bless you Mr Adegbite....you took a risk on a fellow Nigerian and maybe saved a life. Posted by truthsayer33| 22.02.2007 14:44

techsista  Villager

# 4 What a heart-warming story! As he recounted, he too had had a similar experience on that road. He called for help but before it came he was attacked and robbed. That was why even at a great risk to his own car and life, he stopped to give a helping hand to a total stranger. He did everything possible to ensure that I did not go through the same experience he had gone through. This is what gives me hope for Nigeria; there are more Mr. Adegbites than we realize. Posted by techsista| 22.02.2007 14:56

Soul Sista  Villager

# 5 What a wonderful and encouraging story. Thank you for sharing, Sylvester. Soul Sista a/k/a Soul Sizzling Posted by Soul Sista| 22.02.2007 15:04

Dimaanu  Villager

# 6 Mr Idowu Adegbite's past experience has made him a compassionate person. Sometimes, we focus on the negative aspect of things that has happened to us without making room for the positive that it was meant to produce in us. Mr Adegbite is being hailed as an "angel" today because he did not wish for another person to experience the pain he had passed through. May there be many more Mr. Adegbites in the world! Posted by Dimaanu| 22.02.2007 16:26

Showcase  Villager

# 7 Surely a risky thing for Mr Adegbite to do, but it paid off. The world is reading about it today. I join the others in pronoucing God's blessings on you and your family. At your point of need, help will not be wanting. You have sown a good seed. Posted by Showcase| 22.02.2007 20:58

emj  Villager

# 8 hmmmmm,...........God bless Mr Adegbite wherever he is. People dont stop on the express or anywhere to help nowadays, becos one is not too sure of what would happen. Sylvester u are one lucky son of a gun. Posted by emj| 22.02.2007 21:05

Anon  Villager

# 9 You are indeed one lucky fella! Glad to know that someone used his bad experience and turned it into a good experience for another's benefit! Posted by Anon| 22.02.2007 23:59

IgoTalk  Villager

# 10 May God bless you Mr. Adegbite. Not only have you showed that bitter and painful experiences from our past can be turned into blessings for others, you have saved a life, a family and a future generation from a potentially devastating situation. God bless you sir! Posted by IgoTalk| 23.02.2007 18:47