Driving is medicinal to me – female commercial driver

By SUNDAY ANI (nichsunny@yahoo.com)

“What a man can do, a woman can do even better,” is a popular cliché by proponents of women liberation movement in Nigeria. The statement has not only become popular, it has also been proved to be realistic looking at several areas of human endeavours that women are actively involved in today.

As several women are creating lasting impressions in various professional fields as well as in politics, Mrs Yemisi Ogbara from Ilesha in Osun State, has also been representing womenfolk very well in the area of commercial driving. There are other women who are into commercial driving but they are mainly taxi drivers, who ply their business within the state of their residence. It is uncommon to find women who drive long buses for a long distance journey, like Yemisi.

The Ilesa-born Yemisi, who now drives her own 30-seater bus from Lagos to Seme, Cotonou in Benin Republic, said her commercial driving experience dates back to 1989, when she started driving a 504 Peugeot Wagon in Kano. Although, she was based in Kano where her husband then lived, her route was from Kano to Ibadan in Oyo State. She said her experiences with the policemen on the road made things very difficult for her and almost discouraged her, but because of her love for the job, coupled with her determination to prove that she could not just be intimidated because of her sex, she persisted. Today, according to her, the story is different; women now engage in commercial driving without any molestation, unlike what obtained during her early days in the job when policemen didn’t think that a woman was qualified to undertake such strenuous venture.

 “I drove intermittently because policemen on road block were always disturbing me. They would ask how I managed to get a driver’s license because then, it was strange for a woman to drive for such a long distance. Even stranger then was for a woman to engage in commercial driving,” she informed.

Still determined to make something out of commercial driving, she left Kano for Ibadan, Oyo State where she drove her own personal car, a Peugeot 404 Saloon car. “When I was in Kano, I was driving for somebody but when I relocated to Ibadan, I drove my own vehicle. I was at Bodija Market where I transported bags of beans, corn, and yam to wherever my passengers wanted them transported, but within the South-western states. That was around 1999, but then, I was using a 404 Peugeot Saloon car,” she stated

Not satisfied with what she was earning in Ibadan, she relocated to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja with her husband where fortune smiled on her. She was able to build her own house; a 16-room bungalow. She also owned the bus she drove then, but she was rendered penniless when the FCT administration under the former minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai demolished her building alongside her bus and everything she had laboured for. She was devastated but not even El-Rufai’s bulldozer could quench her desire to make a name and meaningful life out of commercial driving.

Narrating her Abuja experience, she said: “When I was in Abuja, I used an 18-passenger bus for intra-city transport. Everybody knew me because I was the only woman then.  It was El Rufai’s demolition in Abuja that sent me back to square one. They destroyed all I laboured for in Abuja including my house, bus and even driver’s license. I came to Lagos with nothing. I had a 16-room bungalow in Abuja. I knew that one day, we would be asked to leave the place but I didn’t know that they would destroy the house with all I have inside, including my bus, which was packed in the compound. What happened was that I travelled to home town because one of my sisters died but before I could go back to Abuja, they had already destroyed everything I had.”

So, with her nine years hard labour in Abuja destroyed, she picked the pieces of her life and moved over to Lagos, where God sent a messiah to her. She was introduced to the then Chairman of the National Union of Road Transporter Workers (NURTW), Seme Park, Mile 2, Lagos, who after listening to her ordeal offered to assist. With his power as the chairman, she was given a 4-passenger car belonging to the NURTW. She started plying Seme from Mile 2 with the car and in no distant time, she distinguished herself. Having proved her mettle so soon, the car was changed for her to an 18-passenger bus, which she used until she bought her own bus. Yemisi, who now assumes the name ‘Eko Oni Baje,’ bought a space wagon after two years and later, a 30-seater bus, which she now drives.

On her journey to Lagos, she said: “I came to Lagos in 2001. Somebody introduced me to the then chairman of NURTW, Seme Park, Mile 2 and he gave me new lease of life. He gave a car, which I started driving from Lagos to Seme. But I was later given an 18-seater bus, which I drove until I bought my own Space Wagon. I used it until I was able to buy this bigger one, which is a 30-eater bus.”

A tailor by training, she abandoned tailoring and followed her passion for driving. She revealed that driving serves as an opium for her because if she was feeling weak or she had a headache, only getting on wheels would put an end to all that.

Surprisingly, she said she learnt how to drive using her experience in motorcycle. “I learnt tailoring but I didn’t like it. I didn’t even learn how to drive but with my knowledge of riding motorcycle, I started driving. My brothers had cars and it was their cars I would always drive out without their knowledge. If I have headache or I am feeling weak, I get well as soon as I enter the wheel; that’s my medicine.  I no dey tire,” she revealed.

Most men would not allow their wives to engage in such strenuous job. Did Yemisi’s husband react differently? She said: “He knows that I am a strong-willed woman; he didn’t say anything when I told him about my decision to take up commercial driving. Remember, I stayed up to three years after marriage before I became pregnant. So, even before I gave birth to my first baby, I had already started as a commercial driver. I have five children - four boys and one girl. My first son who is now 30 years old has already taken to commercial driving. I bought a bus for him and he also plies from Lagos to Seme; we are on the same route. My husband has retired to our village after our experience in Abuja.”

Many passengers would not be comfortable with a woman driving for a long distance; but in Yemisi’s own case, the reverse is the case. She said: “My passengers love me; they have confidence in me. If they don’t see me, they will wait for me until I call to tell them that I won’t come. Even if my vehicle breaks down on the way, my passengers would all come down and push it with happiness; so I would say they like me and they have confidence in my driving.”

Her services extend beyond transporting passengers from Lagos to Seme or Seme to Lagos; it also includes charter services to the neighbouring states, provided the pay is handsome. “I also offer charter service. For instance, last week, I went on charter to Osun State and came back only two days ago,” she said.

At over 50 years of age and having spent over 24 years as a commercial driver, Madam Yemisi does not think she could do anything other outside driving. She revealed that her past attempts to venture into business ended in disaster. So, she had sworn never to engage in any other venture after she retires from active driving. She said: “I can’t quit now because of my children. Until they are all independent, I will continue. My last child is 12. I can’t do any other job; I am afraid. Even though, I want to retire, I still have not seen any other thing I could do apart from driving. I haven’t been able to find another job that would fit into my body like driving and still generate the kind of income I get from driving. When I was in Kano, I tried severally to venture into business but on each occasion, I ran into trouble; so, I don’t think I can do any other thing after I retire from driving. It is the only job I can do without any stress.”