BUS LANGUAGE For a good number of middle and lower class citizens in Nigeria, the value of the bus system in getting around to carry out day to day activities is immeasurable. In my years of taking the bus between and especially within Nigerian cities, I have noted with interest, the different remarkable idiosyncrasies of bus travel. From the color codes, used to identify buses plying particular states, to the interesting mix of commuters in terms of social class, background and culture. From the innovative bus sales men who would sell anything from provisions to medication, claiming to cure all ailments known to man, (and some yet unknown!), to the gullible commuters who would always buy, in spite of NAFDAC’S stringent warnings against such patronage. Can I forget to mention the exchanges between conductors and passengers over torn naira notes, lack of change and sundry other issues, the political arguments (accurate or not) between passengers, and of course, the occasional preacher who suddenly brings out the religious side of even the most troublesome commuter during prayers against enemies. The intercity bus is a melting pot of a variety of characters and exhibited activities. Though uncomfortable, most times, due to overloading, heat and a rather unpleasant mix of odors, it can be a place to either have a good laugh or a thoughtful reflection on the variations that make our society interestingly unique. More recently, I have taken notice of something else, observed carefully from one city to another. I have termed it “Bus Language”. By Bus Language, I simply refer to the interesting phrases people use to indicate their intention to alight from a bus after they have reached their destinations. Though English is the Lingua Franca of the nation, these phrases are usually peculiar to the locality and are sometimes coined from words taken from the local parlance of the area, irrespective of the fact that most Nigerian cities have a growing number of non-indigenes living in them due to career or work related relocations from their places of birth. In places like Lagos, the local language is used and it is common to hear people say “Owa o!” literally meaning “there is” or in broken English, “E dey”. Lagosians also use the phrase “Oun bole” meaning he/she is coming down. In the ancient town of Ile Ife where I went to school, we would call out “Campus wa o” or “Post Office wa o”, to indicate the need to drop at Campus or Post Office bus stop as the case may be. Down East, in the ever bustling town of Aba, shouts of “Oga pu”, literally translated as he/she will come out, are heard. This is used when the bus stop is still a distance away but when the commuter eventually reaches his or her exact destination, they say “K’opuo” (let him/her out) to indicate their intention to be dropped immediately. The same also applies to the Coal city of Enugu. In the commercial heart of Northern Nigeria, Kano, commuters say “Akwai na nan” meaning “there is, right here”. In Minna and Kaduna, also in the north, commuters simply say “Akwai” (there is). A recent trip to the Historical city of Benin revealed that passengers utter a rather loud and surprising “Stop!”, at which command, the driver is expected to indeed stop for the passenger to alight. In Port Harcourt, the Garden city, where the use of pidgin or broken English is common, passengers alert the Driver with a “Bus Stop dey” or “Dropping dey”. Sometimes they call the name of the bus stop by saying “Eleme junction dey” or Market Junction dey”. The same holds for the Federal Capital Territory where a large number of migrants from other parts of the country have come either for work or business. Here, you hear phrases like “Berger dey” and “Wuse dey”, referring to particular bus stops, as buses are not permitted to drop people just anywhere along the road apart from designated bus stops. In the Oil city of Warri, commuters simply call out the name of the bus stop. Whether it be an “Owa” with a thick Yoruba accent or a “K’opuo” with a deep Igbo intonation, an “Akwai” with a Hausa inflection or a plain “Bus stop dey”, the fact that the same meaning is being passed across every day, all over the land and in so many different ways only serves to ensconce the fact that Nigeria is indeed rich in diversity. So the next time you’re in a new town, listen for the language and thank God for the dynamic medley that is Nigeria.
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