I survived four auto accidents

....Teachers are no longer poor
.... I survived four  major auto accidents 
........my salary was 75naira per month in 1980
.........My ambition was to be a nurse or  a MOPOL
.........Teaching in primary school could be...

 

Mrs. Falilat  Ilori Olayinka   retired  three years ago  after putting in 35 years in Ondo State Teaching  Service. She recounts her odyssey and how  she lost her  five  fingers and almost lost her life during her career. Taiwo Abiodun reports
 

Tears of joy 

She danced , sang songs of praise and rolled at the altar in the church thanking God for sparing her life  to see  the day of her retirement.The woman , Mrs. Falilat  Ilori Olayinka   shed tears, but it was tears  of joy. 
At home   she  danced again and sang songs as she  entertained her visitors .In fact she received gifts and also gave out presents to mark the day she retired from active  Teaching service.

 Her fingers were the  cynosure of all eyes .All her fingers on the right hand are gone , they were cut off and reduced to stumps no thanks to  the auto accident she had in the year 2000 that almost claimed  her life .
That is the story of a retired Headmistress   Mrs. Ilori  who had taught in over 20 Primary  schools in Ondo state.

 Ats her citation was being read at the reception she shed tears , and again as she took the microphone to give thanks she burst into songs of praises to God for being alive.     

 
 

I had  wanted to be a Nurse or a Police officer
 According to her , she started her teaching career in 1980    when she was given employment letter on Grade Level 04, as a Grade Two Teacher . She said " I must confess that teaching was not part of  the profession I  dreamt of   in life for my life ambition was to become a Nurse or a Mobile Police officer ( MOPOL) .I applied to School of Nursing wanting to be like Florence Nightingale who was nicknamed 'Lady of the Lamp' who was nursing and taking care of the wounded soldiers at Army Hospital at Scutari in the Crimean  War  but I couldn't go for I missed the examination . I love to care for people . Again I thought of joining the Police Force  and be defending  the oppressed  but for one reason or the other I did not go until when one of my uncles advised me to go into  teaching profession .When I heard the story of a teacher who was loved by his students , I mean the late Tai and his wife, Sheila   in Ikenne I was motivated by their stories and  decided to go for teaching and assist children "

 

My first day in the class 

Going down memory lane , the retired head teacher said she was shy and had a stage fright the first time she went to teach as she faced a large number of pupils " It was not easy for me to face such a large crowd of about 30 or 40 in the class then in 1980.  I had stage fright .To face pupils was not easy , after that day I was no longer frightened.The date was  August 1, in 1980 and my salary was Level 04 step one , it was 75 naira then and I was able to manage , then things were cheap and affordable , it was not hard like this , I started teaching at Saint John's primary School, Iyere - Owo, Ondo State.

Mysteries while teaching 

For the retired Mistress , she believes some of the pupils possessed supernatural power and especially when they are hurt, they attack teachers spiritually.In her own words she said "  there are students or pupils you don't beat just anyhow or cane and whoever does this will regret it among the teachers .Teaching profession also has its own hazard like any other profession  for those pupils  with familiar spirits are dangerous , some whose parents are Babalawo are dangerous .I remember when  I was teaching  at Iyere , a teacher  caned a female pupil and he couldn't come to school for his hand got swollen. But for me I never experienced such and this is through fasting and prayer but those who experienced it told us their experiences".

My Service  years 

''It was not all that  smooth .I started teaching in 1980.Things have not been easy with marital problem and the training of my children  which led to my accident'' . 
 Involvement in auto crashes  

Madam   Olayinka  who   answers a  Moslem name due to her religion background but had converted  to   Christianity had  four  auto accidents within three months when she was employed in teaching service,  she  again  had another accident in  the Year 2000 that claimed her four fingers and reduced them to stumps  while three  months to the day to  her retirement she was involved in another auto accident and  during her tenure she had a fatal accident that cut off her five fingers.Again three days to her retirement she had an accident. According to her from all these auto accidents the most fatal one was the one she  lost her  five fingers.  
   She said " I was in an 18 Seater Commercial  passenger  Bus traveling to Port Harcourt to meet my husband   when our  vehicle  had  head - on  collision with another one .I was sitting at the front of the vehicle by the driver's side when the accident occurred", she continued " I was rushed to  the  hospital but my younger brother, Lekan Owodunni came from Lagos to take me down to an hospital in Maryland in Lagos  where I was unconscious for days.I was the only one that was injured  in the vehicle.I was unconscious for days.

''My husband called my younger brother, Lekan Owodunni who moved me from Port Harcourt to Lagos where I was hospitalized   at the Maryland Hospital  for three months.For the first three months I felt bad , at night  I would wake up and be crying  whenever  I looked at my fingers  and discovered that the fingers were gone!''

HOW I COPE WITHOUT THE FINGERS
The retired Headmistress said at first ,she used to  wrap her hand with  an handkerchief hiding her fingers but later had a change of mind, she said '' I used to wrap handkerchief round it and later learnt how to use my left hand .Later I removed the handkerchief and started using it to write on the board and write in exercise books. The fact is that I was not used to using left hand which was an overnight thing. I later started using the stumps , for I thought for how long will I be hiding my fingers'' 

I'M CONTENTED

Mrs.Olayinka  said " I spent 35  good years in teaching  service and was committed to my job. Asked whether she is rich  in the profession but she replied " Yes , of course  I was and I am rich for from the salary I was able to train my children  and provided them food and education .I am not talking of cash but little cash and moral support which is every teacher's joy to see their children excel. What matters most is job satisfaction and contentment in life.I believe one does not need thousands or millions of naira before he could be contented and fulfilled ,when money is too much it gives one headache too.You will be confused of what to use it for , so I don't pray in life to be rich but rich in contentment."

HAPPIEST MOMENT

''My happiest day in life was when my first daughter got married for it was  like me getting married .Marriage is a union between two matured man and a woman , as ordained by God .It is God that makes marriage work. The ones that fell by the road side it is God, and the ones that did not work it is also God.

Three months to my retirement day , I was happy but my colleagues in my last school , Government Primary School one, they  were not happy , even that had started coming to me 6 months to the bowing out 

I shed tears at the Apostolic church when they were reading the citation on me because I remember the hazards I went through. I could have died. I am not better than those who died before their retirement, all is by His grace''

LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT

''That is the most difficult thing I wouldn't like to talk about . I am scared of retirement  .I  know what to do , and without money you cannot do anything .Look  at some who had retired for some years and  have not received their gratuity. Let us hope in God.There are many things to do but for now I don't know.''

HOW I SPEND MY DAY

''When I have not retired , I would wake up in the morning , say my prayers , bath, Cook and set for school and  church.

Presently I would be going to Canada to relax and when I'm back I will find something  to do .

      TERE IS  REWARD IN TEACHING 

     The retired Mistress said '' although there was no money in Teaching profession but one way or the other God has a way of compensating  His  own people . I have seen pupils I taught in higher levels and the respect they gave me is great.One of my students gave me 10,000 naira  in Ijebu Igbo when he saw me. A boy who refused to go to school and whom I monitored  till he  eventually  became a lawyer today is still there to testify to all these''.
The retired Mistress said  teaching profession is now honoured and not looked down upon again, she said ''there is nothing Bankers, Lawyers are doing that Teachers don't do now.Teachers have choice cars , built houses like those in Banking Industry and in other professions, so we are not poor as we were perceived to be before''.