Lagos, the centre of excellence, is grappling with a lot of infrastructural problems stretching it to the very limits with the daily influx of people in the state to seek for the much-touted greener pastures. Lagos, which is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, has more than enough trouble for any administrator.
According to worldpopulationreview.com, the Lagos State Government estimates the population of Lagos at 17.5 million, although this number has been disputed by the Nigerian Government and found to be unreliable by the National Population Commission of Nigeria, which put the population at over 21 million by 2016.
What this points to is that the state is growing at a rate that would require sufficient funds, prudent management of the same and innovative ideas to take it to the level which the government plans; making it a smart city.
For a city that is growing at such an exponential rate, it is expected that transportation would be a huge challenge for the state to grapple with. Until very recently, the state relied almost entirely on private sector investments in the area of transportation, which made it practically impossible for commuters to move around the city in a decent and safe mode of transportation. Of course, the road transportation was the only available means of getting around and the people of Lagos were left at the mercy of the infamous rickety molue buses with their usually abusive, ill-tempered drivers and conductors who are usually acting under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
A typical trip in those vehicles was usually a voyage laden with horror, trepidation and anguish, until the regime of Mr. Babatunde Fashola, took the bull by the horn and introduced the Bus Rapid Transportation (BRT), with dedicated corridors to allow for movement with less friction. The aim being that with decent, well air-conditioned transit buses, lots of commuters would not need to take their vehicles but rather use these buses. This also would help decongest the roads and reduce the several hours wasted on traffic.
A similar attempt by the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande with the transportation sector of Lagos State, with the establishment of the Lagos State Transport Corporation, LSTC, buses was not so successfully, probably because it was cash-based, which meant the operators would have to be paid in cash, as opposed to the BRT.
The first phase of the Lagos BRT was opened on March 17, 2008, although it was initially slated for opening in November 2007. The initiative to build the system was initiated by the government of the previous governor, Bola Tinubu. It goes from Mile 12 through Ikorodu Road and Funsho Williams Avenue up to CMS.
Also, not to be forgotten was the bold move by Akinwunmi Ambode’s government to further expand the corridors of these services with expansive bus stops and more vehicles. Then, it was a pleasure riding in one of those buses and not a few people parked their vehicles at home rather than go through the rigorous and laborious experiences of moving in Lagos and there can be no telling the number of persons who may have been spared early deaths owing to the chaotic Lagos roads. For instance, taking a trip from Ikorodu to Lagos Island and back on a daily basis is enough reason to cut short any otherwise healthy person’s life.
But the story is no longer as rosy and the experience is no longer as exciting as between then and now as most of the buses are now shadows of their former selves. While the fares remain higher than that of the yellow and red buses, because of the expected comfort, the services they offer now are not better than that of the other buses. For instance, whereas a trip from Costain to Ikorodu cost N500, that of the red buses is N300. Yet, you are expected to pay this even when you are subjected to the harrowing experience of the heat as a result of the poor ventilation, non-functional air-conditioners and air-tight windows.
For all intents and purposes, the BRT buses are now glorified molue buses devoid only of the rude and tactless bus conductors and their collaborative driver colleagues.
To make matters worse, for those who are not going to the final destination, the devices to enable one tap out for a refund of the balance of the money hardly works. Meaning that if one takes a bus from Costain on the Costain-Ikorodu route, if you are to alight at Maryland, N500 would have been deducted and N200 would be returned on tapping out, but because most of those devices have since stopped working you end up paying N500 for a journey of N300.
However, perhaps, because of the lowering of standards, the BRT found itself in a scandal last week that would take it a long time to take out of the memories of many of its commuters who still use those vehicles in spite of the fact that they were hardly getting more value than the red buses are offering.
On Tuesday, the BRT operations were suspended across the state following the death of 22-year-old Bamise Ayanwola. Oluwabamise went missing after boarding the BRT with number 240257 heading to Oshodi at about 7:30 pm that fateful day and became suspicious when the driver of the bus told her to sit at the back despite being the only one in the vehicle.
She communicated her concern to a friend all through the journey until minutes later when she could no longer be reached on the phone.
“Around 7:32 pm, she posted ‘God, it is your protection I need’ on her WhatsApp status.
“After repeated calls, her friend said she heard some voices underneath trying to struggle to get the phone from her,” sister of the victim, Elizabeth, revealed.
Bamise’s corpse was found on Carter Bridge, at Ogogoro community, Lagos Island, on Monday. The police in Lagos revealed that the driver of the BRT vehicle, Nice Andrew Omininikoron, who went into hiding immediately after the incident, had been arrested and arraigned in court.
The suspect, when paraded by the police, claimed they were attacked by gunmen, who dragged out the deceased from the moving bus, during the trip. Yet, he did not deem it fit to report the alleged attack to his office nor to the nearest police station but rather went into hiding, until he was fished.
This probably may not have been the first and may not be last time this will be happening, but because Bamise was intelligent and alert enough to sense danger, she did the needful. Only God can say what would have happened had she not communicated with her friend and provided details of the vehicle.
Perhaps, one of the reasons incidents as this are increasing by the day is because it is appearing as though there are always attempts by those concerned to cover up such cases because of the likely backlash that would greet the news of these cases. Indeed, we need prompt dispensation of justice and early closure to cases such as these and that would serve as a deterrent to others nursing similar criminal intentions.
Bamise must not die in vain. The society and government failed to rescue her. Therefore, the least that is expected by the family is that justice is not only served, but must be seen to have been served. The BRT is the least of places anybody would expect this kind of story. Perhaps, this may serve as a wakeup call for Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, to step up on its supervisory role and ensure that standards are regularly maintained.
