By Owei Lakemfa
NIGERIA is on the highway. This Friday, May 29, 2015, as we approach a major T- Junction, we shall stop to change drivers. Brother Goodluck Jonathan, who has driven us since February 10, 2010, will handover the steering to Comrade Muhammadu Buhari. As Buhari takes us to the T-Junction, we would either turn right, and start doing things right, or left, and continue on the familiar road of dependency, consumerism, ruinous market forces, prodigal privatisation, fuel importation rather than refining, and neo-liberal policies that take, rather than create jobs. Then, it will be business as usual.

We have been promised a change and the hope is that we will turn right, but that remains a hope until the driver actually takes the right turn and never makes a U-turn.

The road is very bad with potholes that can swallow cars. These, doubtlessly, we have to avoid. The road signs are in place, but you know many Nigerians do not read, or deliberately ignore them. Not that we are some of the worst drivers in the world. I have been to a number of countries, particularly in Africa, and conclude that we are far better than a number. But years of impunity and carefree attitude has almost turned us into a lawless society.

We used to travel in a mammy wagon, with the side inscription ‘Slow and Steady’   on one side, and ‘No Condition Is Permanent’ on the other. With wooden benches for seats, it was not quite a comfortable ride, but at least the driver seemed safety conscious. Then he was shoved aside, and the vehicle replaced with a 911 bus with locally made body. With no seat belts, and like Fela characterised the bus as ‘Forty four seating and ninety nine standing’ the little crazy or drunk drivers and their conductors, took us on bumpy rides on side roads that led to coups, bloodshed and a civil war. In fact, two of the drivers were killed by their colleagues while on the driving seat.   Like we say in Lagos, it is not the danfo (mini bus) or molue (911 bus) that is crazy, it is the driver that has some loose nuts in his skull.

When we caught our breath, and got another slow – and – steady driver, the rough drivers soon shoved him aside, and we continued the crazy ride. After a few accidents, avoidable deaths, and some actually jumping off the bus, we were able to change the driver, and even the bus. The new factory built bus, unlike the old one, has a sound engine, functional lights, horns and even seatbelts! We needed a good driver that would be safety conscious; one of the past drivers who was not known to care much about safety, was presented as the best in town. But it was like purchasing beautiful coral beads and putting them on a snake; what waist has a snake to wear beads? Rather than stick to the highway, he took us through side rough, un-tarred roads of dictation, impeachments and hyper inflation. When his two shifts were over, he insisted on a new one, but was stopped. Since then we have had two other drivers, perhaps not very good, but at least cool headed and safety conscious.

When Buhari imposed himself as our driver thirty one years ago, he proved to be rough, if not reckless. He did not care for the comfort of the passengers nor listen to their cries that the bus had no good shock absorbers, the road bumpy, and with no seat belts and high speed, that they were being dangerously tossed around. He had to be forced to apply the breaks and shoved off the driver’s seat.

But Buhari has convinced most Nigerians that he has changed, that he is not the same young and carefree driver of old. He argues that age has mellowed him, he learnt from the experience of the past; in any case, this is a new bus with good chassis and automatic drive, not the manual molue of old he drove. More importantly, that he has gone to the driving school of democracy where he learnt to be a professional driver. He pointed out that in his first coming, the traffic rules had been abolished, and the only rules that applied were those he and his espirit de corps friends made. This time, he argued, there are not just rules that bind, but also road signs and speed limits that must be obeyed.

Buhari confessed that when he first drove us, he had not gone to a driving school, and his drivers licence had been procured without a driving test. In short, he had tried to learn on the job. But now, all that has changed; he would   be careful, obey traffic rules, apply the breaks if necessary, and would not only use seat belts, but would in fact ensure that we all do.

So we have taken Buhari as our next driver to take us towards our desired destination of peace and bread, security and a better life.

While not advocating that we should dictate to him which may confuse him, I think we need to be vigilant; be ready to caution and if necessary, call him to order. I do not subscribe to those shouting that we should go to sleep and not even use our seat belts because they can vouch for his expert handling of the steering. I need to be convinced. I urge us all, to be co-operative, but if need be, to exercise our proprietorial ownership of the bus and the fundamental right to replace any driver if we so wish. Safe journey.