Oshiomole employs female bus drivers in Edo state

The ‘Comrade Governor’ poses with the ladies

Edo is again in the news. This time,it is not in respect of its forthcoming governorship election, but of how the state is making ways through the employment of ladies as commercial bus drivers. At the vanguard of this rare move is the state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The state governor surprised not a few persons, having mandated that ladies should be engaged as drivers for the state's public transport system, known as Edo City Transport Services (ECTS). When Governor Oshiomhole informed the ECTS boss, Mrs Edugie Agbonlahor, early last year that
he wanted a crop of girls to drive the Daewoo Luxury Buses plying the city, she was surprised, although pleased. Without hesitation, she set to work instantly, advertising for applications. But since such a development has never been seen anywhere in Nigeria, people did not take them seriously, and this resulted in the low turnout of girls.
One other factor that brought doubts into the minds of Edolites, as Edo people are fondly called, was the fact that the advert said that they wanted girls without experience. I laughed when I heard it, and that was why I never bothered to apply. I may have got the job too, since I was qualified too , says Efemena Agbodo, a passenger at Ring Road in a voice laden with envy at the lucky ladies driving the buses.
It was fascinating to see these young women, most of them between 22 and 25 years of age, driving the long, heavy, airconditioned buses as if they were driving small cars. One of the drivers who simply identified herself as Blessing, told Sunday Mirror that though the job is stressful, she was never scared of driving on the highway. She explained that the type of training she received has given her all the confidence she needs: Initially, I would be wondering what if something goes wrong, but as time went on, my confidence increased. I can now drive without fear .
She had taken off after her bus got filled, pulling out of the park gracefully. The passengers too, did not show any sign they were worried, as it was evident they were comfortable with the lady's driving skill. They plied all the routes, even intercity express roads like Agbor and Auchi roads, not minding the heavy traffic. Agbonlahor told Sunday Mirror that choosing the last set of ladies who now do the driving took quite a period of training, in which they sought to ensure that the best, most confident ones, are selected. We knew the implic ation of using people who are not too sure about their abilities, that is why we took them through a series of trainings , she said.
After their tests and interviews, 50 young women were chosen. The criteria specified that they must have at least a West African School Certificate (WASC). They were trained in driving by Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) professionals, and at the end of the training, 20 of them, along with 14 males, who had also applied were graduated in October 2011.
Governor Oshiomhole had explained at the graduation that the aim of the project was to empower and encourage the girlchild and promote gender equality. He argued there was no reason why only men should drive, as all over the world, mass transits also have female drivers. In his usual style, the governor took the steering wheels and drove government officials and graduands around the city.
Comrade Bus, as the luxury buses are called, became popular when the original, moribund ECTS was revived by the new government with air-conditioned buses, and transformed into an inter-city transport scheme. One hundred brand-new Daewoo buses were introduced, and fares were very people-friendly, and Benin people quickly abandoned the use of smaller buses, since the seats are larger here, and one has the privilege of enjoying the air-conditioners.
Speaking to Sunday Mirror, one of the female drivers, Ifeoma Arihala who holds a B Sc degree said that initially, the adverts for female drivers surprised her, but she decided to give it a try. I was not doing any serious work before that time, but it gave me an opportunity to join the class of employed youths. Before I got the job, I had never seen a woman drive a bus like this. I decided to apply because they promised to train us when we were coming. Before then, I never knew how to drive at all.
She also spoke on passengers tolerance: The passengers get you upset, and you feel like screaming. But I just manage to hold my peace; if not; passengers are really a difficult set of people to manage. When asked about some of the things she felt were challenges in the job, she said, The job is very stressful for me, and I drive every day, apart from Sundays. I am a B. Sc holder, and the pay could be better than this.