Who invented the Molue? A Satire

I guess the joke's on me now. A few weeks back, I came to the awe-inspiring realization that the big, Mercedes Benz 911-powered commuter buses a.k.a Molue, that were once (and on some routes still are) the 'rave' of the moment on Lagos roads are actually...

…*drum roll*    * fanfare*...

...'Made in Nigeria!'

‘What an astonishing discovery!’ Yeah, I can almost hear you say 'duh' or 'eh hen, wetin come happen?' Its okay. I also sneered at myself too.

I had always been convinced (I don't know by what, in retrospect) that they were decommissioned German military personnel carriers imported into Nigeria to aid public transportation! Can you beat that? Making a mountain out of a mole hill abi na Molue out of an Okada? Such an assumption must be the consequence of matching an often overactive imagination with more than a passing interest in warfare history, spiced up with a few well-meaning but misconstrued world war movie storylines. That was a mouthful, I'm sure. Anyway, I had even gone online at google.com to certify my suspicions. Of course, the effort was fruitless but not so uneventful. At least, I got offers for some 911 truckheads that looked to be in good condition. (*Rolls eyes*)

Well, I was still a tiny bit sceptical when my fruitless search made me contemplate the possibility of what eventually became my 'Revelation of The Truth'. Belated Eureka!

I asked (no, more like mentioned my suspicions to) a Senior Citizen who gleefully confirmed SOME of the following facts:

• Molues were (and still are) in fact, Proudly Nigerian innovations, particularly Lagos,
• The power and transmission systems are German developments BUT the chassis, seats, fittings and accessories (I pray o!) are Nigerian,
• The electrical systems (or lack of such) are Nigerian customizations of the original German installments,
• The passenger capacity of the vehicle is an extraneous variable dependent partially on the installed seating capacity, the desperation of the commuters and the bullying or intimidatory abilities of the bus boys (more often ‘bus men’ or Papas, as  I recently observed) which quantity is also a function of the individual's hands-on (bus-on) experience, temperament (the more outspoken, the better), 'communication' skills (the raspier or more aggressive-sounding, the better), sometimes alcohol consumption and retention capacity (for morale boost) etc

But I digress now, so back to the subject.

I came across posts by a member of an established online social forum on the history of road transport in Lagos and was particularly blessed (It was afterall an answer to prayers) and enlightened by the section on the Molues. However, for all its good intentions, the articles did not reveal who conceived the notion of customizing the Mercedes Benz 911 heavy-duty, flat bed truck into a mass transit machine. I don’t think even its German manufacturers foresaw this potential.

So, the question still remains…

Who invented the Molue?

Is there anyone out there with the answer?