Ochenuell Mobility in partnership with Global Designing Cities Initiative has expressed concern over the provision of safe walking and cycling routes for school children as such will promote healthy living among students.

Mr. Emmanuel John, the Executive Director of Ochenuell Mobility, expressed the concern in an interview with newsmen during the ongoing stakeholder's forum on the “Safe Streets to School Abuja Project” in Abuja.

John said that the project was targeted at developing the culture of cycling to school in Nigeria particularly in Abuja with a view of de-emphasizing motorizing and its consequences such as traffic congestion, emissions, and crashes among others.

“In the next five years, Abuja will be the center of cycling because our advocacy has reached that peak where everybody is getting involved, at the federal level and state level.

“The obvious fact is that students are struggling, we have watched students having difficulty going to school because there has not been focal attention to them.

“Some of them trek 10 kilometers to go to school and 10 kilometers to come back. This is one of the reasons for the massive failure among students,” he said.

John explained that it was for this reason that the organization felt that there should be a solution to the complex problem the students and parents were facing.

“Hence, we advocate that a bicycle should be given to every child as well as provide the enabling environment that will ensure their safety when they ride the bicycle to school so they won’t be knocked down by the car,” he said.

John said that in order to promote this initiative, the leadership should lead by example.

He said if all the authorities are riding, they will also provide the facilities that will make the cyclists safe and comfortable.

Mrs. Gloria Oche, Director, Gender and Diversity of the organization, said that the project basically was to bring back cycling to life, especially for schoolchildren.

“We have realized from our research that most of these kids trek to school, and some are dropped off in school by their parents.

“We want to encourage more students to ride bicycles to school rather than take public transport or be dropped off in school considering its benefits,” Oche said.

She also said that the organization would encourage female students to dress decently having in mind that they were going to ride bicycles to school.

Earlier, Mr. Durojaiye Babawale, the Assistant Director, of the Public Transport Monitoring Department of Road Traffic Services, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said the project was aimed at encouraging safe streets for kids to ride bicycles to school.

“Riding a bicycle for children and for anybody is healthy and it encourages activities that help to maintain a healthy life.

“Apart from that, we want to encourage non-motorized means of the transportation system within our system so that we can reduce traffic congestions on the road while improving the health of people,” Babawale said.

On his part, Mr. Abdullahi Candido, Secretary, of Transportation, FCT, while commending the management of the organization said that schoolchildren deserve seamless, active, and affordable mobility as they commute to school and back daily.

According to Candido, parents and guardians already have enough on their heads but are encumbered with providing transport for their kids by driving them to school daily.

“Or giving them money for commercial transport which could have been used for something better in the face of the harsh economic situation we are faced with.

“School premises and environments can change significantly especially during peak hours if a significant number of students ride bicycles to school,” he added.

The highlight of the program was the presentation of bicycles to Candido and others by the management of Ochenuell Mobility.