Gov. Ambode's plans to ban Danfo buses from Lagos roads

Therefore, his announcement that plans are underway to phase out the ubiquitous Danfo (Yellow) buses from the streets of the state was met with thumbs up and applause by the weary Lagosians.

Aside from banning the Danfo buses which have been seen as being a major menace in the mega-city, Ambode also declared that the government will also put in place a well-structured and world class mass transportation system that would facilitate ease of movement within the city.

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This piece of news couldn't have come at a better time as residents of the state have been held to ransom by Danfo bus drivers who believe they are the kings of the road and other road users should obey them.

For anyone living in Lagos, the fear of the Danfo bus driver is the beginning of wisdom. They are the kings of the road and in every situation, they are always right.

They have the right of way, so you do not argue with them. The average Lagos bus driver is always in a hurry and woe betide you if you stand in their way.

They drive against traffic, take ‘one way’ and clime road medians at will. On the expressways, they are lords and masters of the road, cutting in and out of traffic as much as they want.

You are always the one at fault when they ram into your car and be prepared for their caustic tongues if they perceive you are not getting out of their ways fast enough.

So for Governor Ambode to have the courage to ban them off the road calls for celebration by all and sundry, especially as he has told Lagosians there would be a better and more refined replacement.

Most of the accidents on the streets of Lagos can be traced to the Danfo driver who sometimes has no side mirrors, (often depending on his conductor to monitor the roads) no seat belts and is often punch drunk.

Speaking at the 14th annual lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), Ambode said:

“When I wake up in the morning and see all these yellow buses and see Okada and all kinds of tricycles and then we claim we are a mega city, that is not true and we must first acknowledge that that is a faulty connectivity that we are running.

Having accepted that, we have to look for the solution and that is why we want to banish yellow buses this year. We must address the issue of connectivity that makes people move around with ease and that is where we are going."

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"For instance, people going from Ikorodu to CMS have started leaving their cars at home because the BRT buses are very convenient and so why can’t we do that for other places?"

That is the spirit of a forward thinking and proactive leader should have in tackling issues in the country.