WOMAN CONDUCTORS OF LAGOS by
Onyebuchi Odianjo
#TrishdiansLagosSeries
I
think I believe “what a man can do, a
woman can do as well.” It may sound cliché,
but hey! It
is happening in our world today. As usual, my blog revolves around Lagos
and Danfo
buses, yep! Danfo buses. Funny, but I bet we all have one story to tell when
it comes to the hustles of Lagos and Danfo buses.
Going to work, I noticed there are a few female conductors
out here in Lagos. Truth? I was shocked! These conductors are
on the go almost all day, jumping in and
out of their buses, calling passengers
in, collecting and calculating money; and these
women are
doing the same thing. I mean, how is that possible? And they say a woman can’t do better? Well, I plead the fifth. Anyway,
on a particular day, this female conductor caught my attention and as usual,
got me thinking.
It
was a pretty long day, and I had had to
wait for a long time before I got a bus. Usually,
I'll take
a Danfo
bus, but that day, a Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) was going my direction; usually, BRT buses are half the price of Danfo buses. So as soon as it
approached, people ran after the ‘big cheaper bus.’ I was so tired, I barely
could run, but then how long could I wait
before I got a bus going my way? So, I joined the race.
I
was so far behind; I could barely run as
fast as others because I was tired and the bus was in motion. But the struggle
was too much; I was just about to give
up. Just then a hand stretched out to my aid, “hold my hand!
” a lady said to me. Immediately I
hastened up, she grabbed and pulled me into the bus. Soon as I got in, while I
was gasping for air, we both looked at each other, laughed, and I said: “thank
you.”
I
quickly grabbed
a stand support cause there weren't any
seats left. “Aunty where to?” the lady who pulled me up said, “you’re the
conductor?” I asked, and she said “yes.” I was dazed. I didn’t know even woman
were conductors of BRT buses. I felt a sudden
sense of pride in me; that women could do it all. I think, if women can do the hard part, we can do everything else a
man can do.
Are you a woman out there who
someone somewhere told ‘you can't do it?’ well,
I’m here to say, ‘you can do it; you can do it all!.’ In
Chimamanda's words, I think “we should
all be feminist.”
Share
your thoughts
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