The Association of Nigerian Motorcycle Clubs has announced the development of a new strategy to regulate the growing biking community in the country.
At its maiden press conference held in Lagos on Monday, the group said its objective was to ensure that bikers prioritise safety and develop the sport to an ‘enviable’ status like in the developed countries.
Based on the new strategy, the group is recording all power bike accidents in the country as well as the causes.
According to the association, the finding will then be passed on to members so that they can avoid making the mistakes that caused the crashes.
The President, Inyang Effiong, said, “Biking in other countries is a multi-billion industry and that is the level we are aiming for, to use our sport to develop Nigeria’s economy. Nigerians will gain financially and emotionally by associating with us.”
Apart from the economic benefit that biking brings, Effiong said the country stood to benefit a lot from the development of biking as a sport, especially in emergency situations.
He said, “We want to help. We are on the road every time and we have the ability to get to places faster than cars without exceeding speed limits. So, we can come handy in rescue and emergency situations.”
“When Nigerians see accidents, they just lament and take to Facebook to announce. We want to do more by actually helping out.
“We are holding our annual convention in Ado-Ekiti and imagine what that translates to economically when all bikers in Nigeria and even from neighbouring countries come to stay for a few days.”
He said the association was registered in 2009 and since then, “we have been working to make it an umbrella body for the increasing number of motorcycle riding clubs.”
“Currently, there are 11 member clubs spread across Lagos, Ibadan, port Harcourt, Abuja, Jos, and Bauchi, and we are hereby asking individual riders to join a club or form one so we can all enjoy the sport we love together,” he said, adding, “We already have a template for establishing new clubs and for mentoring riders.”
Effiong added that clubs under the association ensured that their members uphold all road safety rules – from registering their bikes to having licence sand wearing requisite protective gears.
The Vice-President, ANMC, Mr. Ogbonnaya Kanu, said member clubs had been engaging in several charity and social reform projects to “let people know that the person they see on power bike is not a riffraff but a responsible person.”