OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos
The Gabriel Rotimi Aroge (GRA) Empowerment Foundation joined the global community on Monday to celebrate World Bicycle Day 2025 with a series of innovative, children-centred activities in Lagos.
Themed around road safety, advocacy and youth empowerment, the event was a rallying call for inclusive mobility and cycling awareness in Nigeria.
World Bicycle Day, officially adopted by the United Nations in 2018 through the efforts of Polish-American sociologist and cycling advocate Professor Leszek Sibilski, commemorates the bicycle’s role in sustainable development, education access, poverty reduction, and environmental protection.
The bicycle remains a tool of transformation—especially for vulnerable children in underserved communities.
This year, the GRA Foundation hosted a cycling rally that began at Ikeja City Mall and ended at the FRSC Lagos Command Headquarters in Ojodu.
The rally was joined by cycling enthusiasts from the Nigerian Cycling Federation who rode from the National Stadium, converging with the GRA team to create a vibrant cycling jamboree.
During the event, the Lagos State Traffic Radio 96.5FM featured a special interview
with GRA representatives, Joseph Adewole live in studio and Founder Gabriel
Rotimi Aroge, joining remotely from the UK, alongside Peter Lane, Head of University Business at the Sussex Innovation Centre.
Mr. Aroge emphasized that this year’s celebration, although physically held in
Nigeria, was coordinated from the UK due to his commitments with cycling advocates from Brighton Bike Hub, Re-Cycle (Bikes to Africa) and Bricycle.
“We are building a culture of road safety from the ground up. Today, we chose to celebrate children’s voices on a platform where it matters most—the road,” he stated.
The highlight of the event was a student symposium themed: “Should Lagos State Encourage Cycling for Children?”
Participating schools include; Fountain of Wisdom College, Agege, Keke Senior High School, Ifako-Ijaiye, and Apeke Dynasty Foundation who delivered compelling arguments, with children demanding cycle lanes, safety education, and fair treatment on the roads.
A communiqué from this session is being developed for submission to key stakeholders across government levels.
Representing the Lagos FRSC Commander, Deputy Sector Commander (Operations), Joyce Efetie reiterated the Corps’ commitment to advancing road safety.
She launched the GRA sticker message: "Make Walking and Cycling Safe", aligning with the UN's Global Road Safety Week agenda.
The event also featured prize presentations, interviews, a mini-exhibition, and photo sessions.
It was co-hosted by GRA Foundation in partnership with FRSC, Nehemiah Protege Foundation, Everything Youth Impact Foundation, Apeke Dynasty Foundation, and Waka International Community Foundation.
As Nigeria confronts road safety challenges, Cycle-2-School Plus, GRA’s flagship
program offers real solutions by providing bicycles to schoolchildren walking long distances to access education.
The Foundation is currently seeking sponsors and partners to help deliver the next phase of the program—starting with the clearance and deployment of a 40-ft container shipment of 1,000 donated bicycles from the UK.
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