REALITY OR MIRAGE:

GETTING BACK TO THE QUEUE CULTURE ?

Driving through Ikorodu Road, leisurely , hurriedly or even at a pace you determine you cannot but be stunned by the orderly manner in which Lagosians queue up to get a seat on the much applauded BRT buses.

Looking back to a point in time not so long ago, when people had to struggle and physically fight to get a seat or at the very least a standing space in the old, decrepit looking , ever moving 911 buses, popularly called Molue, or the tin-box Combi Buses called Danfos , this was not a matter of profession as doctors, journalists, lawyers, bankers and all and sundry who had to move from one point to another , dropped their egos and joined in the fight for the fittest to get on board, the result being that at the end of the day you could only hope of getting to your destination half as clean and crisp as you left your home. Forming a queue in that era was simply a taboo . A typical incident occurred at Oshodi when a newcomer into town saw a mass of people suddenly break into a run. Thinking it was a riot, the newcomer also took to his heels for dear life only to find out minutes later that it was just a rush to enter a rickety old contraption called Molue.

Today it seems the queue culture is back as we see the smiling faces of commuters calmly waiting for their buses with no fear of encountering grubby conductors ,and their rickety buses . Truly a new dawn seems to have come -- a new air of confidence seems to have infected the average commuter. Who would have ever believed that the average Lagosian would be as disciplined as to patiently wait in line for his turn to board a bus? Hmmm positive change they say, comes with a lot of responsibilities. Could this be the propelling force behind the rebirth of the queue culture in Lagos? For how long can this rebirth of the queue culture survive the tense and chaotic environment that the Lagos City depicts?

Eagles Eyes
www.gistplatform.blogspot.com