Embrace bicycle transportation, director tells Nigerians

The Federal Ministry of Transportation has said it is considering bicycles as alternative means of commuting, as it promotes a cleaner environment and healthy lifestyle.

The Director, Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration, Musa Ibrahim, stated this at the one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Abuja.

According to Ibrahim, the idea is to enhance and heighten the importance of cycling in Nigeria as it will obviously lead to a drop in road crash incidences.

He noted that the stakeholder’s sensitisation meeting was in consonance with World Bicycle Day, which was marked annually through a United Nations General Assembly resolution.

In a statement on Thursday by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike, Ibrahim said World Bicycle Day recognised ‘The uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport, fostering environmental stewardship and health’. He noted it as a reason why the United Nations 2023 World Bicycle Day was themed, ‘Riding together for a sustainable future’.

Speaking further, the Director, noted that proponents had equally encouraged the use of bicycles as a means of eradicating poverty; furthering sustainable development; strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people; promoting health; preventing disease; and facilitating social inclusion.

The Chief Executive Officer, Ochenuell Mobility, Emmanuel John, said the cycling initiative extended beyond efforts to address climate change through cutting down on carbon footprints.