As bus fees increase, some parents in Kubwa, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, have called on the federal and state governments to construct bicycle lanes on roads to enable students ride safely.
They made the call at the second edition of a 10-kilometre cycling competition organised for students in Abuja.
Marian Oluwapidan, a parent and one of the organisers of the competition, said that the competition would encourage children to take themselves to school or go on errands.
Mrs Oluwapidan explained that the competition would also build confidence, stamina and a better mental capability for students.
She said, “With this fuel subsidy removal, they will not need school bus. With their bicycles, they can actually ride to school.
“When they get to school they can park their bicycles, and when they are done, they take their bikes and go back home.
“This will reduce the stress on the parents trying to pay for school bus or trying to pay for commercial motorcycles, but once they have a proper bicycle, they can ride to school.”
The initiative was to enhance the wellbeing and physical fitness of students, according to one of the parents and an organiser, Gloria Eloho-Uduokhia.
Mrs Eloho-Uduokhia observed that, “The economic situation in the country is something else as fuel price is on the high side.”
She said, “We organised this competition so that the students prefer to ride their bikes to schools.
“With this, we are also calling on the government to create lanes on the roads for students to be able to ride their bicycles safely.”
The competition – tagged “Bikers Race: Cycling is Fun,” was organised by Apexdotcom in collaboration with Dynamic Women on Point.
Eventually, winners and runners-up in various categories of the competition got prizes.
The over-all winner of the competition, Dominion Caleb, appreciated the group for coming up with the competition.
He said, “It was a good experience and I want to thank God for making me come first.”
