If you are a regular user of the Lagos public transport system, you would be familiar with the phrase “shift inside“.
One thing you need to understand about this phrase is that each time you hear the driver or conductor say “shift inside,” there likely isn’t any space to shift to.

For those in the know, there have been increasing complaints about a reduction in the sizes of seats in most aircraft. The legroom has allegedly been drastically reduced too.
However bad you think that situation is, Lagos public buses are at least, twice as worse.
It is like Lagos bus owners heard the complaint of air travelers and said “hold my beer”.

I am beginning to see a similarity between Nigeria’s ruling class and Lagos bus owners. They both do not care about the welfare of their customers.
How can you put three grown adults on a seat barely enough for them, then ask them to shift inside, so a fourth person can join them?

Secondly, they both feign ignorance of how bad the situation is.
It could be raining cats and dogs, and a Lagos driver will act like he is unaware that his windows are non-existent. And that his roof is letting in as much water as it is keeping out.
I can’t fault them when every response by President Buhari to any bad news in the country is shock. I think he is in urgent need of a shock absorber.

Thirdly, there is a saying that people are deserving of the leaders they get. As for Nigerian leaders and Lagos drivers, we deserve neither. It looks more like we are helpless.
We are not so helpless regarding our rulers though. Participation in general electioneering is necessary. Getting involved in internal party politics is more fundamental though.

At the rate at which bandits are taking up spaces in Nigeria, eventually, our ruling class might have to borrow from the colloquial of the drivers.
After giving up twenty-seven states of Nigeria, I hope they never tell the rest of us to “shift inside”, and manage the remaining nine states.

Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator, and Creative Writer.
Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. @IJOSWIL

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