Lagos Commuting Chronicles Episode 1: Change Palaver

The fare from Ojuelegba to Lawanson is now ₦150, increased due to a surge in prices following the new government administration taking power. My frustration with this price hike is that service providers never seem willing to provide change, expecting passengers to either have the exact fare or forfeit their change. Some might think ₦50 is a trivial amount, but I strongly disagree. When calculating money-related exchanges, I consider both the seller’s and buyer’s perspectives.

Seller Perspective: If I offer ₦50 for a fare of ₦60, would the driver accept it? The answer is no.

Buyer Perspective: If I leave this change for the seller, they may claim not to have change next time, making it a routine (yes, many vendors in Lagos are shameless about this, especially for amounts ₦100 and below).

If I think 50 naira is insignificant, I remember that tiny drops make a mighty ocean. Accumulating these small amounts can eventually amount to something significant and useful.

Recently, a man paid his fare on the bus from Ojuelegba to Lawanson. He handed the conductor ₦200, expecting ₦50 in change. Despite repeatedly reminding the conductor, he was asked to find change for himself. As we approached Lawanson and with no hope of getting his ₦50 back, the disgruntled passenger took out the wooden part of the bus’ middle bench and stormed off into the night, leaving the driver, conductor, and me in shock.

Side bar: I wrote this about a year ago. The fare to Lawanson from Ojuelegba is now ₦200.