Every time I am scrolling through social media and I see “Ambode to phase out danfo/ yellow buses” my lips always curve into a huge smile.
It is about time, right?
We cannot be claiming mega city when our public transportation system is a disgrace. This phasing out of danfo is the only project I know Ambode is planning to do and I honestly cannot wait for him to implement it.
If you have been following this column, you must be tired of my danfo chronicles. Any day I jump into a danfo it is one drama or another.
Now I know there are issues the government must look into before they get the danfos out of the roads, like how do they get current drivers and bus conductors employed and many other government things.
I know they cannot possibly bring all of them into the scheme so how we go do am? Unemployment rate is high enough. Anyway, that is the headache of those in government.
My own concern is that the other day, while I was busy admiring pictures of the new buses they said Ambode is bringing in I saw some annoying comments beneath. People were crying that danfo represents Lagos, that those horrible buses have cultural significance with Lagos and other rubbish comments etc.
What nonsense is this?
Who are these enemies of progress?
I honestly do not know why any time we as a people try to make positive moves, some other group must come out to say ‘our culture this, our tradition that.’ Please explain to me how danfo is culturally tied to Lagos? Or what significance it has to Lagos?
Every day we all yab Lagos claiming mega city when simple things cannot be fixed. Now that the government wants to fix this small issue our people are saying it is our culture for us to use smelly, dirty, deathtrap buses as transport? Are you people alright?
Danfo strips you of your dignity.
Every time you dress up, feeling fresh then you enter a danfo; how do you feel? How many times have danfo buses ruined your clothes? Or stained them? How many times have you entered a danfo in the morning but few bus stops later you are smelling like a gutter in Somolu?
The other day I was in a bus when it suddenly started to rain. I could as well have been in the rain because by the time I got down, I was drenched to my skin. Or was it the time the bus I was in suddenly caught fire? Sometime last year my friend’s phone fell in a danfo, he reached down to pick lo and behold there was a huge hole beneath the seats and the phone was gone gone gone.
Let us not forget how rude and uncouth these tango bus conductors and drivers can be.
What even annoys me most about the people who say danfo is Lagos is that they do not use danfos regularly!
You cannot convince me that any sane person who depends on danfo buses will make a case for them to remain. When we travel out of the country, you see people rich or poor using public transport, it might not always be convenient but is it on a scale of danfo?
Please Ambode, do not listen to these people. Find a way to employ danfo drivers and conductors o, because this plan is long overdue.
Remove the danfos from the roads, and also please provide enough of the new buses then kindly fix the roads too.
Oooshaaay!
One last thing, since people are so attached to the colour yellow, you can paint these new buses yellow so that we can all be happy. Thank you sir.
#Byebyetodanfo #NewLagosbuses #Nomoredanfo #nomoreowoda
