23112019

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—29
08033039599
frediwenjora@yahoo.com
I’ll be showing ingratitude
to God by begging to survive,
says double amputee
•How he learned to live without his arms
•He brushes his tee
eeth, runs a block industr
try, , drives his truck
•Opens and drinks beer
By Fred Iwenjora
Lateef Shotunde is a survivor in every
sense of the word. This is because he
cheated death rising from the ashes to
still be counted amongst the living.
Nature had seemingly deliberately
packaged all the bad odds for and
against him but he vehemently and
utterly rejected all of such natures’
hand out.
A mysterious electric shock had
melted his two arms in a freak factory
accident causing him to battle for his
life spending over 11months at
National Orthopedic Hospital,
Igbobi, Lagos.
Shotunde popularly known as
Oluaye by residents of Pakato, a
community in Ogun state soon put the
trauma behind him and learnt how to
live perfectly without those arms.
He grew from a manual labourer
who scrounged for any kind of manual
work at any kind of site to an
entrepreneur who owns and runs a
block making factory which employs
many workers.
He lives alone in a four bedroom
bungalow he built and depends on no
one for his daily life.
He tells FRED IWENJORA how he came
to be without his arms, how he learnt to do
everything for and by himself, adding that he
would be showing ingratitude to God by
turning into begging like most other disabled.
How did it happen?
•Lateef Shotunde
It is a long story. This accident happened to
me on April 24, 2004. I was an apprentice
learning how to be a panel beater at a
workshop situated opposite asbestos factory,
Sango area of Ogun state when the accident
happened.
On that day, one of the senior
welders in the workshop asked
me to get him some pipes. I
pulled the pipes and boom I
was struck like lightening. The
pipes had contacted the high
tension wire overhead. I woke
up at Igbobi. I asked myself
On that day, one
of the senior welders
in the workshop
asked me to get him
some pipes. I pulled
the pipes and boom
I was struck like
lightening
what I came there to do. I
recalled how I had lifted the
pipes. I looked in shock at my
hands all melted and shrunk.
It also took away two toes and
burnt some parts of my lap.
When you recovered from
the unconsciousness, what
first came to your mind?
The first thing that came to
my mind was to thank God. I
said God I thank you
o..because I am alive. I even
saw patients who had worse
cases. Some victims of petrol
station fire were also brought the same day
with me. Out of nine patients brought in on
that day, I was the only survivor so I thank
God. Today I am working, I set up a block
industry and I’m running it. I can lift anything
- cement, block, bucket etc. I can eat and open
my drink by myself. I brush my teeth myself. I
even play table tennis. The only thing people
do for me is washing my clothes. I still try but
it won’t be clean.
How long did you spend at the hospital
and what was going on in your mind
throughout the time?
I spent eleven months at the hospital with
my mother by my side. She left her business to
be with me. I am her last child. In my mind, I
was wondering how I would survive without
two hands. I couldn’t imagine being called a
beggar.
When and how did you learn to do
everything for yourself?
While recovering at Igbobi, a man would
come to talk to us. The man is also an accident
victim. He always came to tell me not to think
too much. He first taught me how to eat by
myself.
What about the man who sent you on
the message that caused you this
accident?
He visited me once at Igbobi but never came
again. Years after, one day I went to deliver
goods for someone, I saw him. He called out
to me but I ignored him.
You are a landlord here at Pakato, tell
me the story of your settling down here?
It was my mum that made it possible. After
my accident and discharge from the hospital,
I joined my mum in her retail business at
Agege. I taught myself to drive even before the
accident so after the accident, I perfected the
use of my short arms to drive
I would help my mum carry her retail goods.
We regularly hauled cartons of biscuits and
gallons of vegetable oil. I would also drive to
Idumota Lagos to help her buy the goods.
One day my mother called me aside and
told me how happy and grateful she was to see
me join and assist her in her business. She told
me she wanted to be keeping aside a share of
her profit for me. She said she wanted to put it
into a local micro credit company until it
matured. When it matured my mother called
my attention. She said she wanted me to do an
unforgettable thing with the money.
For me an unforgettable thing is a
bike. Okada. I wanted to cruise on a bike
like others. How naïve I was. We spent days
and nights arguing over that issue until my
mum announced she had bought me a bike
and would take me to where it was parked.
While we entered a bus towards Abeokuta, I
worried why we did not go towards Lagos to
buy a bike. When we got here at Pakoto, she
pointed to the plot and said this is the bike I
told you about. It is better for you. I was shocked.
One thing led to another and my mother
suggested I relocate from Agege to Pakoto so I
could protect it from land speculators and also
think towards developing it. Now its nine years
since I got to Pakoto.
On arrival at Pakoto..?
I rented a house, I got married to a girl I
used to know. I was doing all kinds of manual
labour from carrying sand, digging gutters and
filling sand. It was the way I worked that made
the people nickname me Oluaye. I have two
sons from my wife despite that she has left me
saying I am poor.
How did you set up the block industry?
One man who has a block industry was
fascinated with what I was doing and suggested
that I came to his block industry to work by
watering the blocks. He said he would teach
me the business if I was patient. I quickly
agreed. After working for him for some time
and saving up money, the same man suggested
it was time I started my own industry. He took
me to buy sand and cement with my savings of
N50,000 and got molders to start molding
handmade blocks for me. That was how I
started. I have many customers most of whom
want to buy from me because of my condition.
I later bought the machine for molding blocks
and I have a truck to deliver them. People
also hire my truck for various forms of
deliveries.
I later acquired another piece of land and
with the help of my friend who is a bricklayer,
we built it. Life for me has been tough. But the
struggle continues.
Aside God, who else do you feel most
grateful to?
My mother… She is my everything after
God. May her soul rest in peace. She died a
few weeks ago, leaving me so sad and
devastated. She was my helper in everything.
She lived with me in the hospital for eleven
months and I can’t tell how she borrowed over
N6m to pay the huge bills at the hospital for
me to be alive today. Haa, the woman strong
well well o. No one loved me like my mother.
She bought this land for me and set me up in
business.
Many people in the same condition
like you are begging...
It would be ingratitude to God on my part to
resort to begging as a means of livelihood . I
believe I am God’s own miracle on earth, so
begging will be letting Him down. It will be
like making a mockery of God. Rather, people
still come to beg from me and I give. Even
women flock around. It would not be in my
character to beg.
What would you want from people?
Some artificial hand or… ?
Artificial hand bawo.(no way).I do not need
any artificial hand because I already know
how to live without my hands, No oo… I want
money for my business to grow bigger than
this. I want money to complete my house and
train my children. My block industry needs
new machines and delivery vehicles. I want to
be able to employ more workers and deliver
my vibrated blocks as far as Abeokuta. That is
what I want