Out of Africa

 24.06.2000

After the horrible freak accident, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (24.06.2000), I was flown to Zürich and treated at the University Hospital for 2nd and 3rd degree burns, stretching over 56% of the body. All surgeries went well but there was a fear I would have a permanent mental handicap. I did this opinion, mainly because I lived with this deficit for all my live. I saw no way to return to Nigeria since TEXCO (that's me!) was anyway insolvent and the business did not seem likely to pick up. Still, After 32 years in West Africa, a tough decision. It was clear to me that nothing of our assets could be salvaged and there was not much else ...

After my partial recovery, in November 2000, I was faced with the hard fact that all what I had where debts, resulting from credits to TEXCO all to my name. This at the tender age of 58 with wive and 5 children (youngest 7), really no joke! I had this sinking feeling before and was committed to fight it, by doing something! Living on Social Security is not my thing but had inially no other choice! Even before my full recovery, I started to write job applications and finally RIETER gave me the chance to start all over again. Unfortunately liabilities with banks and ex-wives never evaporate! Against all odds, all worked out well in the end and live went on!