The Diary Game: The Day I confirmed That Swimming Should Be A Compulsory Life Skill.

Good day to Y'all my fellow steemians around the globe on today's diary i will be telling you why swimming is an important something we should learn.

^{After the event i went to learn how to swim}

It was around 2006.

There was a woman who lived just a few houses away from ours. She owned a small hair salon and was one of the kindest people in the neighborhood. Everyone knew her, and everyone loved her.

For many years, she and her husband had prayed for a child.

When the news finally broke that she was pregnant, it felt like the entire community was celebrating with them. It was the kind of joy that brings smiles to people who aren't even related to you.

One day, she decided to travel to Onitsha with her mother.

If you know the Idah waterways very well, you'll know that traveling from Idah to Onitsha by boat has been common for decades. In fact, on my last trip to Aguleri, some friends even suggested I use that same route—but that's a story for another day.

The wooden boat they boarded was huge. It wasn't just carrying passengers. It also transported bags of rice, heaps of yam, and other agricultural commodities to the Onitsha market. Many traders relied on that route, and several Igbo merchants also shipped their goods through those waterways.

The journey usually started at night, with the expectation of arriving in Onitsha the following morning.

On that particular trip, the boat was also carrying petrol, which was to be delivered to riverine communities around Ibaji before continuing the journey.

Everything seemed normal...

Until disaster struck.

According to what we later heard, a passenger lit a cigarette close to where petrol was being transported.

Within seconds, flames erupted.

The wooden boat was engulfed in fire.

Panic took over.

People screamed.

Some jumped into the dark River Niger, hoping to escape the inferno.

Her mother, an Ibaji woman who knew how to swim, immediately leapt into the water despite the darkness.

As she struggled in the river, she kept shouting to her daughter:

"Jump! Jump!"

But her daughter was heavily pregnant, terrified, and couldn't swim.

Fear held her back.

The fire consumed the boat.

She never made it out alive.

There was no body to bury.

No grave to visit.

Only painful memories remained.

That heartbreaking incident has stayed with me ever since.

It taught me that swimming is not just a sport or a recreational activity—it is a life skill.

No, knowing how to swim cannot guarantee survival in every water accident. But when an emergency happens, it gives you a chance to fight for your life instead of being completely helpless.

That's why I believe every child should be taught how to swim, just as they are taught how to read and write.

Some skills don't earn you money.

They save your life.

Have you ever learned how to swim? If not, what's stopping you?

It was fun that day and I really something go out there explore and try new things stay safe.