By WOLE BALOGUN

The man who survived a near-fatal fall from the Third Mainland Bridge into the Lagos Lagoon at the weekend has said it remains a miracle that he’s still alive. Mr. Shola Oladimeji, who described his survival as an act of God, was driving a Sienna bus with registration No. EKY 974 BB shortly after the environmental exercise on Saturday morning when the bus plunged into the lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge.

He was rescued by local divers who went into the waters and fished him out. In an interview with this reporter at his Lagos residence last night, the Osun-State born Oladimeji said it was by divine encounter that he was rescued from the waters of the lagoon, saying only God could have accomplished such an implausible feat for him. He denied that he was on high speed as reported by some sections of the media, saying he wasn’t driving beyond 50 kilometres per hour. His words: “I was coming from the office on Saturday morning.

I had gone to attend a meeting. I got to the Adekunle Junction by the BRT, then I started driving on the Third Mainland Bridge. Everything was going on smoothly. I was not speeding at all. I wasn’t even going beyond 50. All I remember next was that I saw my vehicle plunging into the lagoon. “I didn’t know how it happened. I wasn’t drunk. In fact, I have never tasted alcohol in my life. By the grace of God, I’m a Christian, a worker and minister with Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM). If you know that church, you will know that alcohol couldn’t have been an issue.

I’m a Sunday school teacher and assistant zonal coordinator of House Fellowship. “When I saw myself going into the lagoon, I wasn’t scared. What came into my mind was how I would escape. When I landed in the water, I was very conscious. I wanted to come out of the vehicle, but something was hindering me. Then I remembered I was wearing the seat belt. So I removed the belt and then saw an opening in the vehicle. Then I tried to come out. “I don’t know how to swim. But when I came out, I tried to come to the surface of the lagoon so that people could see me for immediate rescue. I saw some people around, and people saw me, but before I could do anything, I was back in the water. I came up again the second time and went back. When I came up the third time, I raised up my hand, and the local divers saw me. Then they quickly rushed and held my hand and rescued me. “I didn’t sustain any injuries.

I had never spent a minute in the waters before, not to talk of knowing how to swim. Never. But I didn’t panic; in fact, I just had the assurance that I wouldn’t die. All is to the glory of God. The local divers took me to their place and gave me some treatment. Then I said they should take me to LUTH. By then, no official of state had been there. “I found myself in the water, and I found myself swimming. All I have to say is, it’s the power of God. I’m a practical Christian. I believe in God and I believe in the miracle of God. Everything that happened on Saturday is just God. “I wasn’t unconscious for a minute, I wasn’t afraid for a minute.

“I don’t know when they took my vehicle out. By then, I had been taken away. Of course, I couldn’t find some of my effects, including my phone.” Oladimeji looked relaxed when speaking to the reporter. He was sporting a red T-shirt with blue stripes and boxers. He said he had no fracture, but there was a bandage on his left leg. Some of the fingers on his left hand were also plastered. The Lagos Island Unit Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Saddiq Abdulrahman said on Saturday that the lone occupant of the vehicle survived with serious injuries.

He said that the incident occurred at about 10:30 am shortly after the environmental sanitation exercise at the Police Post on Km. 6 on the bridge. Abdulrahman said a rescue team of the FRSC and the police got to the scene of the incident at about 11:45 am.
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