COUNTERPOINT

anyone’s guess. And there was “in-flight” refreshment…but contrary to my wishful thinking, they were not free nor complimentary. Food trolleys - mostly pies, sausages, fried chicken parts, and such moved up and down the aisle. Relaxed ambience - we even overheard a passenger demanding that her snacks be microwaved… and the stewardess obliged! The seats have sliding trays that can take a plate of fried rice, a bottle of water and a cup to boot. You can also recline your seat, after a meal, to stroll into dreamland - if you know how to depress or control the mechanism at the base of the seat, that is.

As is now normal, the room was cold. Very cold. But we found distraction in the regular voiced announcements for station stops - in English and Yoruba languages - and other instructions on procedures and usage of train facilities. The stiff-lipped monotone popularized by airline announcers has obviously been adopted by the railway. We made a mental note of key points in the words of the ‘official spokesperson’: “Cash is no longer acceptable. E-tickets can only be purchased via bank cards and direct transfers”. It will be interesting to put these bold moves to further scrutiny as we hear and read about efforts to circumvent the new payment process. Even as the NRC wangles through the initial stages of this commendable process, it is gratifying to note that direct cash payments have become obsolete - what was hitherto a thriving opportunity for sticky fingers - yet, there is still much to do to finesse a seamless pain-free payment process.

We arrived at Papalanto Station (now Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti) around 9.07am.

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