Lagos conductors’ confusing pronunciation

A typical Lagos conductor.
Photo: Sola Fadare

A first timer in Lagos may have to undergo conductors’ oral training to understand that N10 means Kala, N20 is Faiba while N50 is called Waso among other terminologies, reports Sola Fadare.

The most important device that connects human beings wherever they reside is communication. This may be why it is said that communication is not effective until the message being passed across is decoded.

Just as there are different disciplines and professional endeavours, so also the careers have their different terminologies and terms through which those who are directly involved communicate to one another effectively. Though, it may be difficult for an outsider to decipher but whenever they wanted to pass the message to such an outsider, they break it down in such a way that he would understand without any ambiguity.

Anybody visiting Lagos State for the first time may have to be given thorough tutorials on how to understand the conductors’ ways and manners especially how they communicate to the passengers. As a matter of fact, the issue of understanding what is passed across is never a thing of concern to them because as they say Eko ogba gbere ( Lagos does not take nonsense).

The Nigerian currency of different denominations has different names given to them by these conductors. Investigations by Lagos Life revealed that N10 is called kala, N20 is referred to as faiba which is also called muri in some quarters because of the portrait of the late former Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed, designed on it. N50 note is referred to as waso, based on the fact that the symbol on this note typifies the three major tribes in Nigeria, that is — Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. Aparently, the slogan of N50 note should have been wasobia which denotes come. The reason for shortening it to waso, according to Akeem, a conductor in popular Iyana Ipaja garage is because o maa n waste time wa meaning it will waste our time to complete.

Another interesting drama about the slogan is that the conductors often combine them as pronounced to tell the passengers how much they will pay for the trip. For instance, during a trip in a vehicle (molue) from Oshodi to Iyana Ipaja, the conductors would be shouting on top of their voices faiba-kala lowo e o, meaning your money is N30.

Confused at the first time but, with quick arithmetic knowledge faibakala means N10 plus N20. This, of course may create confusion for anybody visiting Lagos for the first time because faiba-kala or whatever nomenclature they give to these denominations did not fall into any of the Nigerian languages.

Speaking on why they have to give special names to these naira notes, an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ikeja, Chief Adebayo popular called Tiger said conductors and touts alike have words of their own in Lagos, adding that, they often do that because they believe they are in their offices.

On whether this may lead to confusion especially for somebody visiting Lagos State for the first time, a conductor called agba man, 50-year-old in Abule Egba bus stop said “we don baptize them be that, na dem de call Eko for show” which literally means “that is how to baptize them and that is what they call Eko for show”.

A passenger,who is a banker in one of the financial institutions in the state, Godwin, who claimed that he came to Lagos two years ago from the Eastern part of the country said apart from the special names given to these notes, the way they even call bus stops and bus destinations was very amazing. Godwin added that when he was transferred to Lagos, he suffered because the way most of the conductors pronounced bus stops were different from the way they told him in the house he lived. He, however, said he had already got used to them.

Investigations revealed that apart from the names given to these naira notes, the way conductors call bus stops was as a result of what they drink which changes their voices to sound like baritone. This often gives another meaning to their pronouncements such as when they call a place like Agege they call it aege. Also when they say Eko idumota aye joko, one may not know that aye joko which means seats are available inside the vehicle was added. Passengers interviewed including the elite in Lagos disclosed to Lagos Life that the conductors in that area are more decent and they do not use those slogans. They were however quick to say that if such conductors get to the Mainland; they will adopt the same slogan.

They also added that the activities of the conductors at times served as a means through which the stress in Lagos is reduced. This is because often times their mannerisms might create lively moments for the passengers thereby making them to temporarily forget their worries.

Bus drivers interviewed by Lagos Life in Ojota bus stop on whether N100 N200, N500 and N1000 may still have their names simply said they had never thought of that.

By and large, anybody coming to Lagos to live must be ready to be baptized into life in Lagos because what is considered as abnormal in other parts of the country is seen as normal in Lagos just to justify the usual Lagos slogan Eko o gba gbere Lagos does not take nonsense.