In Lagos, time doesn’t wait for anyone.
The city awakens before every mosque’s Fajr prayer, announcing the break of dawn with a resounding “Allahu Akbar” from loudspeakers.
At 5:30 am, Valentine Chidera is already on the road in his Suzuki Every mini-bus, locally known as Korope. As a bus driver, his day begins as he departs from his home in Ejigbo, Orisunbare axis in Lagos, picking up passengers bound for Egbeda.
In the early hours, passengers are often lost in their thoughts, contemplating work or family matters. Upon reaching Egbeda, Valentine adds more passengers and heads towards Ikeja.
It’s now past 6 am, and Lagos is alive with various sounds — the calls of bus drivers and conductors, the hurried footsteps of those catching buses for work, and half-asleep school children crying for more food in their lunch boxes as they struggle with their mothers, who drag them to the school gates.
Danfo, Korope, and Keke, the primary public transport vehicles, dominate the state’s roads, each in different models. The typical danfo bus is a 14-seater Volkswagen Vanagon.
Valentine’s bus isn’t alone at Ikeja; other Danfo buses and tricycles are present, picking up passengers heading to Yaba, Allen, Maryland, and other parts of Lagos.
At Ikeja underbridge, he gathers more passengers, softly urging them to board with exact change since it’s too early for him to have any. Aware that some won’t heed his request, he’s adept at handling them—either delaying them at the park to find lower denominations or pairing passengers with one another so they can sort themselves out with their change.
In Ikeja, a bustling hub, you’ll encounter businesspeople, corporate workers, students, and government officials commuting on weekdays.
This period, from 6 am to 10 am, is prime time. For Valentine and other drivers, who are making lemonades from whichever bitter fruit Lagos has thrown at them. Morning traffic eases from 11 am to 2 pm, and the evening rush, from 3 pm to 6 pm, sees everyone returning home.
“I take a short break at noon to eat and rest. Sometimes I complete one or two trips before the evening rush,” shared Valentine with The Record.
Maintaining his positive outlook, Valentine shared the story of how as a HND Business Administration graduate from Lagos State Polytechnic, he found himself driving a bus on the streets of Lagos. Post-pandemic in 2020, he lost his supervisory job at Bukka Hut restaurant in Festac shortly after getting married.
Rather than succumb to depression, he followed a friend’s advice, becoming a bus driver and remitting a fixed amount to the bus owner. A year and eight months later, he successfully purchased the bus, relishing the independence of being his own boss.
When asked to choose between a job paying N200,000 per month and continuing as a Danfo driver, Valentine decisively opted to stick with his role as a bus driver.
“I enjoy being my own boss. I can take a break or finish early to spend more time with my family. If I calculate transport and other expenses from a N200,000 monthly job, nothing will be left for me. Unlike here, on a good week I can earn up to N100,000,” expressed Valentine.
Mr. Dele Olojo, once a mechanic and owner of three buses with three drivers, shifted gears when his business became less lucrative. He sold two buses and embraced a new chapter as a Danfo driver with the remaining one.
Now, two decades later, despite limited educational background, Olojo, supported by his Danfo bus, has successfully put three of his children through university, with his youngest currently in the first year.
With a proud smile, he shared, “My first son is a lawyer, and he is doing well.”
Touts and Taxes
In 2022, the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria raised concerns over alleged exploitation by officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lagos State chapter, threatening a seven-day protest.
A year later, bus drivers in Lagos carried out a widespread protest across areas like Egbeda, Ikeja, Iyana Ipaja, Agege, Yaba, and Iyana-Iba. Unfortunately, the demands made by these drivers remain unfulfilled to date.
“Owo loading nko?” a dark-skinned man with tribal marks confronted Olojo at Alausa park, asking menacingly for a tax for loading passengers at the park.
After a brief argument, Olojo reluctantly paid the amount, exchanging a glance with me that conveyed the challenges they face.
“We pay levies to the touts here. The earlier transaction was for loading, and we pay the equivalent of one or two passengers’ fare each time we load. If you make eight trips in a day, you pay eight times,” Another bus driver, Mr. Omooba Adeyemi explained with a grimace on his face.
Omooba shared that loading fare, an euphemism for a park tax, is incurred at every park. For instance, if Olojo heads to Ogba, upon reaching the park and loading passengers back to Alausa, he faces the same loading tax.
Besides, there are other levies burdening these drivers. Omooba listed additional expenses like the daily N800 state government ticket, paid to touts who, in turn, remit to their union (NURTW). Another levy is the booking ticket paid daily by drivers to the touts.
“I don’t blame the touts because they also have to remit money back to the Lagos Government. The state government receives a certain percentage from them, so we bear the brunt and the suffering,” Omooba lamented.
Unlike Valentine, who boasts three years of bus driving experience, Mr. Olusegun Abiodun, affectionately known as Baba Jeje for his gentle demeanour, has accumulated over three decades as a Danfo driver in Alausa park.
In his late seventies, Baba Jeje’s eyes glistened with tears as he reminisced about the ease of earning as a public bus driver in the 1990s, until the tenure of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in 1999.
He highlighted how Colonel Mohammed Buba Marwa, the military administrator of Lagos State from 1996 to 1999, fought against extortion by touts on bus drivers in the state.
A 1999 P.M news report titled ‘Agbero Still Doing Business’ supported Baba Jeje’s claim, stating that despite public disapproval in Lagos State, the activities of touts have been growing since the inception of civil rule in the country.
Baba Jeje stressed that bus drivers in other states of Nigeria are not taxed as heavily as in Lagos. He accused the state government of empowering touts, as well as other enforcement wings like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), to exploit them.
“Insurance used to be N3500; now, it costs N20,000. Road worthiness is now N20,000, and you have to renew after six months. We now have to pay for a driver’s badge, a sticker from the state government showing your bus route number. This sticker has to be renewed every year. Why? Just so that they can keep extorting us,” Baba Jeje lamented bitterly.
Other Challenges
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s swift decision to remove fuel subsidy, announced shortly after his May 2023 inauguration, triggered widespread dissent.
The aftermath resulted in a staggering 150 to 200 per cent surge in fuel costs, with the official pump price of petrol (PMS) in Nigeria ranging between ₦617 to N700. As at the time of this report, 1 USD is worth ₦1,659.772.
Omooba expressed his dejection to The Record, stating, “Before the fuel price got higher last year, this business was still fairly okay. Now, we spend much of what we make on petrol alone.” He elaborated on how the current exchange rate has made vehicle spare parts three times more expensive.
In the midst of Lagos’ hustle and bustle, the Danfo bus drivers face hardships with unwavering resilience. Despite Baba Jeje’s mounting debts with various microfinance banks, he perseveres in his old age, hoping for a better tomorrow.
Navigating through chaotic traffic and financial struggles, Omooba finds solace in the simple joy of having enough to feed his family. “At least I am not begging yet. We are still surviving,” he said, expressing gratitude to God despite the challenges.
For Valentine, happiness is found in the rhythm of life’s everyday moments. “One thing I love about this work is the interesting passengers I meet everyday. People who we only cross paths with once but still impact me one way or another,” he cheerfully shared.
The tale of these Lagos bus drivers is a testament to the indomitable spirit that thrives even in the face of adversity, reminding us all to cherish the small victories along the winding road of life.