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Showing posts with label Lagos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lagos. Show all posts

Tuesday, 19 March 2013

Incredible Dependable Gidi Traffic














If you're on the Tweeter and you've not seeing this eagle eye's symbol or some tweets similar to these above then you're on a very long thing.

I'm less than six months old on twitter but one of the twitter handle I joined by accident in my first week was @gidi_traffic, guess what I'm loving every moment with @gidi_traffic.
 

@gidi_traffic is a combination of two words, Gidi which stands for Lasgidi is a pseudonyms for Lagos, Nigeria and it’s called by young Lagosians and the traffic. So combination of the two is @gidi_traffic.

Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and it's synonymous with traffic gridlock especially during early morning rush which is usually between 7am to 10am and closing time which usually starts from 4pm and sometimes can stretch to 10pm depending on how busy the city is.

@gidi_traffic has come to conquer the nightmares associated with Lagos traffic. It has helped with the city traffic management by giving adequate traffic report and tweets from @gidi_traffic's followers and the handler. Sometime giving traffic rules and advice.

Though the identity of @gidi_traffic handler remains a misery to its follower because of the prompt attention giving to the handle, the retweets are also within minute of tweeting a topic or question. Some its followers sometimes ask if it is a machine robot or a computer program. I'm also surprise because there is no time you will not get a retweet from @gidi_traffic even in the middle of the night.

What amaze me about @gidi_traffic is that many subjects from marital to science and many more issues that ought to be goggled are also being asked on the handle, I call @gidi_traffic Gidipedia because of the questions that sometime Wikipedia cannot answer will handle by our beloved @gidi_traffic.

From the interview @gidi_traffic granted OMG Nigeria in 2012, an online magazine shows that after all it's a human that is behind the handle. This anonymous handler calls himself Kaptin Idoko.

@gidi_traffic won the award for Best Use of New Media at the Future Awards in 2012. I must also commend the incredible efforts of @gidi_traffic Tweeps who give minute by minute reports of their location from Lagos to Port-Harcourt, from Suleja to Ibadan for being good agents of change

With this singular effort of @gidi_traffic aka Kaptin Idoko I believe there is a better day for Nigeria someday soon. Whoever says Nigerians are not patriotic should see the zeal with which Nigerians are helping a worthy cause to grow. We only need a real project and voila we are fully at your back.

For me and many young up-mobile Nigerians, @gidi_traffic is truly incredible dependable friend.

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

The Daughter of a Driver

 
Each time I walk past through a particular street in Ikeja, I can't just but thank my father from the very depth of my heart for the sacrifice he made for my siblings and I so that we could get the best of education. This is always the feeling every time I'm on this street because sometimes tears of joy roll freely from my eyes.
 
Maybe that is why I love the hit track titled "the son of a kapenta by Brymo", the Nigeria's newest hip-hop sensation. He carefully painted the picture of what an average person who has risen from lowest ladder of the society to at least an average level of the social ladder, feel like.
 
I'm proud to tell chauffeurs that I'm a daughter of a driver. If I'm privilege to be chauffer driven, I'm quick to tell them that I'm from their constituency and this makes me have soft spots for drivers especially the honest and hard working ones. This always makes us bond immediately.

Monday, 7 January 2013

Happpppy New Year!

 
Year 2012 has come and gone, it has is up and down, low and high moments.
 
This is a brand new year, nothing and I mean nothing will stop me from achieving my goals. All I pray to God for is good health and His mercy.
 
New year resolutions for me is just another phrase which a lot of poeple have misused over time maybe that's the reason I wouldn't use it as a benchmark for my new year goal setting or I just don't want to be cuaght in it world web.
 
One thing that I know that I need to seriously work on this year is my habit of late coming for functions and activities, I'm very sure Ola and Oyeronke are praying about this unbecoming attitude of mine. I'm very tired of running helther skelther to events and now that Okada is a no go area in Lagos it has been pretty difficult "by force by fire change is inevetable".
 

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Les Rois de la rue de Lagos

 Okada, the kings of Lagos Road!


 
Okada, Les Rois de la route de Lagos. Okada, the kings of Lagos Road!
 
Okada (Commercial motorcycle) which is known with its different names like Acahaba (northern Nigeria), Okada (western Nigeria), Going (plateau, Nigeria), Zemijan (Cotonou, Benin). It's actually got this name from a defunct airline named Okada Air which was owned by Esama of Benin chief Gabriel Igbinedion who hailed from Okada village in Edo State. Okada is Known with speed and it does not waste time waiting for full passengers on board; sometimes it could fly to the passengers' destination without much delay.
 
Since the ban of commercial motorcycles in Lagos I have decided not contribute to this sensitive issue (on either side of the government or the cyclists) because some of my friends who knew my position about this means of transportation will think I'm prejudice against this trade; I have had my own share of their reckless riding. (The rider hung me on a moving vehicle, but I'm sure you don't want to imagine what went through my mind!).

Monday, 22 October 2012

FAAN Award for DANA Air, this must be a JOKE


Following the ill fated crash of June 13, 2012 Dana Boeing MD-83 plane, a lot of agitations have trailed the company on their best practices on safety.

Some of the Customers flying Dana flights said safety was a major challenge; Governor Goodwill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom categorically said "he called the attention of Dana authority to the airworthiness of their airplanes so as not to endanger the lives of Nigerians". This was a call he made to the airline authority after his experience when Dana aircraft enroute Lagos from Uyo had technical problems that led to it hovering for hours before finally landed.
 
The petitions (I signed one written by Late Levi Ajunoma's son) and uproars from the families of victims is still very fresh in our memories following the given back of Dana's license that was early revoked by Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) just immediately after the crash.
 
The compensation issues has not been totally resolved, the legal tussle on the coroner's inquest is still pending in court.
 
I woke up this early Monday morning to read in all major newspapers available that FAAN last weekend awarded Dana airline the best domestic carrier for 2011. (Just thinking this must be some sort of joke!) I hope this is not April fool in October.
 
If this is real, I think one need to sincerely ask the authority in FAAN the following questions:
-What is the yardstick for an airline to deserve this prestigious award? (#mywish)
-Who are the panelists for this award?
-What are the pedigrees of the members on this panel?
-What is their (panelists) training and where are they trained?
-Does the customers flying the local carriers have a say in this awards or are they giving voting option?
 
-Is this award made public so as to have their opinion on this award? (I might be rambling)
 
 
You'll probably be wondering if I’m cross examining the FAAN authority? I should state here that I'm confused like most Nigerians on this award and the factors that led to it given.
 
Having read what the Regional General Manager of FAAN, Mr. Christopher Batoure said that the airline excelled amongst all domestic carriers in 2011 hence they need to encourage them.
 
Batoure said, “They were selected as the best considering their passenger load, the frequency of their landings and take offs and their response to payment of bills in 2011. They had the best volume, they were punctual in their operations and they had an excellent service discharge.” (at least we now know that safety measure is not part of  the criteria used for this award)
 
One might be confuse that is there any moral justification on the part of FAAN on given this award which is some sort of node of well done to Dana or that, should Dana airline have shown some respect and empathy to the dead  by rejecting this awards even if they truly deserve it?
 
I will finally ask; are the authorities using this strategy to launch DANA back into business? (Anything happens in Naija)
 
I know that Nigerians and the rest of the world are watching. Definitely this might not be the end of this twist.
 
Happy New Week Peeps!