Embrace bicycle transportation, director tells Nigerians
28th July 2023
Bicycle

By
Lilian Ukagwe

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.