Hello everyone, how are you all doing today? How is the weekend going for you all? I warmly welcome you to my blog once again, and I do hope you have a good time.
Today, I will be talking about some of the weird behaviors I see on a daily basis, when I commute in this my dear country, Nigeria. Especially when it comes to buses. Let me focus on bus for now...
I was on a bus the other day, it was just a simple trip that was not going to take long. At least, it was not supposed to take long. But as the journey progressed we began to approach a checkpoint. The officers manning this checkpoints were the L.A.S.T.M.A (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority), and they had the right to pull over any vehicle they deemed required their inspection.
But I was on a public bus, so I was not expecting them to pull us over being that most commercial buses were hardly pulled over. So, as we got closer, I noticed the driver of the bus tap the man beside him and asked him to wear his seatbelt while he too hurriedly put his own on as well. For that passenger beside him, the seatbelt was slack and did not even have any form of resistance. When he complained about it, the driver just urged him to drape it on his chest to make it look like he was wearing it. The man complied.
Eventually we got to the checkpoint, and the officers flagged us down. It was just as if the driver had known. One of them walked gingerly to the driver’s window and looked into the vehicle from there. He was not smiling, he was not frowning either. He seemed to be scowling instead. I can’t really remember.
Anyway, the officer did not hold us for long. We left soon after. If the driver had bribed him just so he would look the other way, I was not able to see from where I was seating in the bus.
Now, why am I telling this story? it is just about this seatbelt issue.
Apparently, it is a big one. And that is understandable because it is in our best interests.
But I have always wondered why when it came to these buses Danfo to be precise, there was not much concern when it came to safety. All the commuters were interested in was going from point A to point B. And apparently, the officials do not care either.
Why do only the drivers and the passengers in front get to wear seatbelts? Why is it not required for everyone in the bus to have their seatbelts on? Well, the truth is that most of them do not come with seatbelts at all.
I do not know why this happens but it is just how we see it.
Although there are big buses, like the BRT. Those ones are okay, and quite comfortable. They have measures that protect you in the unfortunate event of an accident. But the Danfo’s are entirely different. The only measure to protect yourself in the event of an accident is to pray to your God.
Taking a ride in these things can be stressful, they all lack shock absorbers. So every tiny bump in the road you will feel it go up your spine and knock your brain, most of the times the engine is so loud that you can’t even hear yourself think and sometimes, the driver can be reckless turning and swerving like a maniac so you will have to hold on to the seat before you if you did not want to get thrown out of the vehicle. Yeah, seeing as there were no seatbelts.
This is what we face on a daily basis, coupled with being couped up in traffic, no room to stretch the legs. By the time the trip is over, all your body will be aching you, your head feels like it wants to split in half and you realize you still have to walk the rest of the way to your destination.
It is not funny at all. Major changes need to be made in our transport system, one in which everyone can benefit from. Better vehicles should be provided so that movement can be made easier.
So far, the government has done okay with the provision of BRT luxurious buses, but that is not accessible to all parts of the state just yet. And let us not even begin to talk about country.
Things like shock absorbers should be a requirement for everyone that wants to use their vehicles for commercial purposes also have seatbelts that actually work. Although I do not think the seatbelts in the backseats will work on a bus. Also, overloading should be made illegal and punishable by law, so that when we get in, we would have room to breathe and relax, not that when we sit, we will remain in that position for the duration of our journey.
There are a lot of things that are going wrong in my country at the moment, and this is no doubt one of them. I hope that eventually someone up there will make up their mind to get it done. That is why I am saving this here, with the hope that someday, someone will see it and be inspired to take action.
Thank you for reading, till we meet in the next post.
