LASG, BCAN to unveil ‘new’ conductors

By Ebun Sessou & Jumoke Kolawole In a bid to ensure security of lives and properties in the country, the Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria, BCAN, in partnership with the Lagos State Government will soon unveil a new brand of conductors on Lagos roads. These new conductors would subsequently be showcased in all the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Abuja, later in the new year. Speaking on the planned official take-off of the bus conductors in Lagos, National President of the Association, Comrade Israel Ade Adeshola, said the body, through the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Transportation, has trained, registered and accredited some bus conductors in Lagos through the Lagos State Drivers Institute, LASDRI.

*A Lagos bus conductor on the beat. The exercise, he said, is still on-going at the institution, adding that all conductors in Lagos who have not been trained, registered and accredited through the institution before December 31, would not be allowed in the business. “Any conductor in Lagos State that is not registered, trained and accredited will not be allowed to operate from January 1, 2017,” he warned. Speaking on the involvement of the state government, he said the leadership of the present administration led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, has promised to secure the lives and properties of the citizens of Lagos. He added it was collaborating with relevant agencies, including BCAN, to achieve its aims. Comrade Adeshola in an interview with Vanguard Metro also disclosed that the  present Lagos State government  is collaborating with the association to give the job of bus conducting a new look. “The objective is to make the job of bus conducting attractive, respected and dignified as obtainable globally,” he said. Adeshola explained that there is a project in the pipeline by the state government to change the transportation system to enhance security and also provide employment opportunity in the state. According to him, the association is passionate about the safety, sanity and security of commuters and Nigerians in general, adding that its membership cuts across the 36 states, including the FCT. He noted that the idea of reforming and rebuilding bus conductors will go a long way in ensuring attitudinal change through regular training, orientation programmes, adequate education for effective service delivery. “To ensure that members do not engage in illegal and criminal activities,ensure that incidences of ‘One- Chance’, kidnapping and other related crimes perpetrated with commercial buses are effectively eradicated. “To this end, the association is currently registering conductors in the nation in order to keep accurate data of all conductors in Nigeria,” he said.