Encomium
-Death toll climbs to 86, rescued now 131
“By the grace of God, every single day when the visitors are done with their breakfast, they head to the church where they have an evangelist or a wiseman, or the prophet himself who gives them lectures about the word of God.
“The lunchtime was 1 o’clock and I, as a person, being so occupied with so many things, I hadn’t even gone to have my own food, I was occupied with so many things visitors always demand.
“I think I went to have a sandwich, bread and egg and some plantain as well…
“The visitors had two options – they were served semolina and egusi soup on one side and fried rice and fish on the other. So, I was making announcement, knowing they were going to probably need some water because we’ve got water dispensers in the dining hall. I was making the announcement and I was walking right through, so I went back to the back store to get some plastic cups so they don’t have to stress themselves by coming back to the counter,” Mr. Temitayo continued.
“I had just kept the plastic cups and I just turned and I looked up, because there was a lady in my front, one of the coordinators who’s probably from one of the groups. And I was looking at her like ‘how are you, madam?’ She came for a different reason. She was asking me a question. So, I was just responding to that when I heard a sound, a very sharp sound…”
Mr. Temitayo described the sound, while he was on the ground floor of the building, just before it collapsed as akin to that made while tearing a curtain.
“A straight line sound. It was like when you have a saw going right through something.
“And when my mind actually said ‘oh, this is not normal’ I just shouted Jesus. I put my hand to my head and I just ducked, and that was the last daylight I saw until I was saved.
“I was on the floor… I had my phone in my pocket, I had my wallet, I still had everything like a normal day. I said to myself ‘oh God what’s happening?’ But as a human being, first thing I did was let me try and feel my fingers. Can I feel myself? You’ve seen people who go numb. They are aware of themselves but they can’t actually move anything. And once I picked up the sensation in my fingers and my toes as well, I said thank you God, that’s the first miracle.”
“Where I landed, I was actually on top of nails, and there was no piercing.
“Once I got into a better position, I started finding my way to move into a position where I could be able to sit upright, forgetting the fact that I could not do that. But I started moving, if I could sit face down I could feel better. But there was no chance for that, it was just nails. Even these plastic chairs, if you break them they become sharp.
“I was just baffled, like what’s happening? So I took out my phones, trying to see if I could get reception, call someone like, ‘Is there anyone to help?’ It hardly dawned on everyone that probably it was the whole building.
“By the grace of God, we were thought to pray in our heart. I was praying in my heart. But this lady was in a high spirit, she was saying devil you are a liar, God is in control. That inspired me, that even in the midst of trouble, because we can say that with our mouth but to put that into practice is very hard.
“That woman was just praying. There was a lady next to me. I tapped her just to make sure she’s okay. Everything was getting airtight, time by time, it was getting more difficult to breathe.
I just laid there and said oh my God You created me for a purpose, let Your will be done and I know You will take glory in all these matter. Still not aware that it was the whole building.
“From time to time, I’d just try and push this but the woman kept telling me that I shouldn’t. I just said God is alive, there is hope, no need to panic.”
“I was lying down and the leg room wasn’t that much.”
At about 5.05 p.m., on Saturday, September 13, 28 hours after being trapped under the rubble Mr. Temitayo said that he was pulled out by emergency officials.
I came out by God’s grace. No man can take the glory. No one was expecting that,” said Mr. Temitayo, sporting a bandage on the last finger of his left hand, where he said he sustained “a slight cut.
