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STRANGER THAN FICTION TALE BUT IT IS ABSOLUTLY TRUE: MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
WITH A NIGERIAN PRESIDENT WHO FIXED MY CAR TYRE FOR ME IN 1978.
At my age of 23 years, I was a spritely and full of life, Sales Representative of “FALEMI PHARMATICAL COMPANY” Nigerian Lagos base company in charge of Kano/ Bauchi states in 1978. I had a new blue painted Volkswagen beetle car 1300cc with a license plate number LA2427S given to me as a car loan. I was always enroute to Bauchi for my duties but mainly to see my girlfriend Clara a student of OLA hospital Jos. On one of their visits, I was driving from Bukuru into Jos town. It was really, really late at past 12 midnight. I think it was in the third or fourth quarter of 1978. We had pass driven pass the airport (Now old airport road) when I noticed I had a flat tire, I found a space to park properly. I promptly opened my booth and pulled out the tools and to also check on the spare tire. My spare tire was very okey but to my surprise one of the tools was not functional at all. (I can’t remember if it was the wheel spanner or the jack). There and then I knew we were in a big trouble. We both came out of the car and stood by the way flagging cars to see if they could help but no one stopped. We stood there helplessly. My girlfriend showed me a car (A Peugeot car 504) That had stopped and was backing towards us, it stopped some few meters from us and a young man jumped out of the car and came over to us and said “what is the problem, can I be of help?” I answered and explained the problem, the gentle man promptly opened his booth and brought out his tools and bent down on his knees to help with either the wheel spanner or Jack----- After all, it wedged the car properly. The driver was so kind hearted, humble and very cordial, he was really handsome and had a tooth gap smile. He alone Jacked up the car after removing the wheel with the wheel spanner. My girlfriend asked me to put a hand for the gentle man, I was too out, flabbergasted and a bit tipsy to offer any help to him. When he was done, he cleaned his hands by clapping them gently I whispered to my girlfriend who the man was. She noticed him and was completely blown away. I asked him if he was not the person, we taught he was. Again that tooth gap smile but he just laughed and kept mute. Then I asked what he was doing in Jos as I taught, he was in Lagos because at that time, he had become a well-known face in the Nigerian top personalities of very top Government officials. He had become a visible and high ranked official of the federal government after the failed misadventure and somewhat silly attempt to topple the Murtala Mohammed government by some disgruntled Nigerian army officers lead by LT.COL Bukar Suwa Dimka. He alone contributed over 70% of the failure to that attempt. In answer to my question, he told us he was in Jos as a student of NIPSS Kuru and typically of his kind heart he invited us to visit him at Kuru, he gave me his room number. We promised to call on him. We were unable to as my car really really disappointed us. why we did not use a commercial vehicle to go there beats my imagination till date. I still have goosebumps anytime I think what I would have become, if we had just been able to keep the appointment with General. Babangida
general who became one of Nigerian most intelligent, colourful and coolest and highly kind president. This is an absolute true story. The general is still around and in complete use of his senses to refute or accept my claims. I wish him the very best in life, may God bless him for us. Amen
Elder
Rotkang Harry Gambo
+2348030577671
+2347054444511
N.B. That
girlfriend is now my wife, with four children and two grand children.
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