Tobias Sylvester
Lagos State Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has promised to employ graduates as drivers of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), with a monthly payment between N80,000 to 100,000.
Sanwo-Olu made this promise on Saturday during an interactive session with his classmates at the Executive Master of Business Administration class, University of Lagos, 1998/2000 set.
According to him, the employment of graduates as BRT drivers would add more dignity to the profession and will reduce reckless driving in BRT. He said:
“The BRT issue is something that has to do with culture. When we take over, by the Grace of God, we will advertise and see if we can employ some of our graduates as drivers.
“What I realised is that apart from the money we will be paying them, which is more than what they are paying an average graduate, we need to very quickly tell our people and encourage ourselves that there is dignity in work. We are going to be paying (them) between N80,000 and N100,000 to come and drive these buses because we expect a lot more decency.
“By the time we get the culture of the drivers’ right, the routes are coming up, by the time we finish the Abule-Egba/Iyana Ipaja/Ikeja route, it will boost the number of BRT (buses).”
The governor-elect further stated that Lagos could one day adopt technology to upgrade and model the BRT ticketing system after what is obtainable in the United Kingdom.
At the dinner, the governor-elect also explained his plans to eradicate gridlock around the city.
He said his administration hoped to, by the middle of next year, complete the blue rail starting from Okokomaiko, through to Mile 2, Orile and Marina.
“The water will work, BRT buses will work and rail will work,” Sanwo-Olu added.
