Meg Dada

By Meg Dada

If you have travelled on the long bridge on Lagos Ibadan expressway at Night, you will appreciate this story.

I was the secretary of the Lagos Province One Women Conference planning committee some years ago, we had gone for a meeting at Ebute-metta on that faithful day. 

We finished late and I headed home with my children in the car still in their School uniform. It was around 9 pm by the time we got to the long bridge. The car started behaving funny, my older child kept  saying Mom don’t stop just keep going as the car was slowing down. I kept moving until the car stopped. I tried starting the engine again but it would not start. DD said, “You see, I told you not to stop but you did not listen to me, parents listen to your children but you didn’t listen.” I could not laugh, I was actually afraid. 

Everywhere was dark, no sign of vehicle coming on either side of the express way. Thought of the stories about the evil occurrences on the bridge came flashing in my heart. I told the children to get set as we would have to start trekking home, so I carried their school bags and my own hand bag and held the children one on each hand. 

In my mind, I was just telling God to protect us as I was coming from where I went to work for him. I felt for my children because they were tired and sleepy, yet they still had to trek at that hour of the night and on that dangerous bridge.  Unfortunately I called my husband, but he had already gone home. Meanwhile, most times, he would still be on his way home from work or he would still at work. 

As we were going, we hadn’t trekked for too long when someone drove past us in a Sport Utility Vehicle. I could not remember now if any car had passed before that one. I was not expecting that anyone would stop to help us because of how dangerous that bridge was. Anyway, the SUV sped past us, then stopped and reversed; the thought of those children (ages 9 and 7) must have compelled him or the Holy Spirit. So, he reversed and asked us to hop in. Was I relieved! It was an understatement to say I was relieved. The children were so happy. I told the man why we had to travel at that hour of the night and that our car was the one packed behind us, it just suddenly developed a fault and my husband had already gone home. I prayed for him as we were going. By the time we got to our bus stop, the children were already asleep. I had already called my husband to explain what happened and that a Good Samaritan had helped us. He came to meet us at the bust stop and took us home.

I cannot remember who the man was. I did not meet him after then. But as I remember and thank God for A Night on the Long Bridge, I just want you to say a word of prayer for him and his household. It was a noble thing he did. He put his life at risk by that action. You need to know or to have heard of atrocities being perpetrated on that bridge to appreciate what he did. May he and his family never be stranded. May they never lack help. May the present help in the time of need Himself be ever present for them in the day of their need in Jesus’ name. Please help me pray for him.

-Meg Dada and her husband, John, are now missionaries in The Philippines