The Lagos danfo bus, with its trademark yellow colour, is a microcosm of the Nigerian state in more ways than one. The danfo bus is probably as old as Lagos state itself. Every efforts by successive governments to rebrand the danfo bus has proved abortive. It is a brand that thrives in it resistance to change. It has survived the eras of BRT and the emergence of online taxi services such as Uber and Taxify (now Bolt).
The danfo bus is a leveller of classes. In it, there are the working class of all stratas. The suit peddlers working in air conditioned offices around Victoria Island with a paltry take home. There are the traders always on the go, hurling their crafts from place to place. There are the hustlers always on the move with lack of clarity on their destinations. They revere in being on the move and can easily transit crafts depending on the need. One minute they can 'pick' a phone from an inattentive passenger on the danfo bus, the next minute they can be a driver of one big madam, and the subsequent second, they can be running errand for one big man that lives in Lekki. Their trade is in the multiple, never mind them being Jack of it all.
The danfo bus is a circus of angry men and women, who can flare up in the face of the slightest provocation. Most of the faces are scarred by telling wrinkles that could only have been inflicted by sharing the same space with fellow Lagosians. There are the occasional faces crushed by injuries and cuts. This kind is usually the hallmarks of the danfo driver and his second in command, the conductor. This is their craft's badge and the banner of hustle that admits them into the Lagos danfo hall of fame.
The danfo bus is often a beehive of conversations but none thrives better than a discussion on the government of the day. Begin a conversation with 'This our government na wa o' and you are guaranteed to have other conversationalists, never mind if they are strangers. In the danfo bus, the collective struggle and national hardship unites everyone. The solidarity is palpable and in those fleeting moments before anyone arrives at his 'bus stop' they find camaraderie of some sorts. Yet, there is the presence of the occasional 'bundle of knowledge' in most danfo buses. Usually men, these ones are peddlers of half knowledge about various subjects. Their voices are loudest and their only moment in the sun arrives when they educate their fellow danfo travellers.
Like most things synonymous with Lagos, the danfo bus is a place to 'shine your eyes.' Whatever you do, never admit to any wrong doing. Whether it's tactfully fondling a lady's breast or admitting to have paid when you have not, never surrender your initial ground. To win your case, keep your voice at a high pitch. The use of gestures, curse words and reference to 'god' will also help sell your case. There is also the need to be vigilant. If you must sleep in the danfo bus, do it with your eyes wide open.
The danfo bus is an anathema of the Nigerian state, yet it is the kind we condone. It reminds us of our collective plight, and the fact that it has refused to evolve over time is an indicator that change is not a pliable and extant word with our national life.
Did Volkswagen know that their Danfo-make will almost never go away? Those buses are really something else.
ReplyDelete