[sustran] FW: Nigeria's mean streets

[Paul Barter]

-----Original Message-----
From: Craig Townsend [mailto:craig_townsend at hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, 21 July 2001 3:22
To: geobpa at nus.edu.sg
Subject: Nigeria's mean streets

>From The Globe and Mail online edition, Friday, July 20

Nigeria's mean streeets
Associated Press

Abuja, Nigeria - Transport Minister Ojo Maduekwe hit an obstacle in his
campaign to promote bbike-riding on Nigeria's mean streets: A bus hit him.

"I thank God I'm alive," Mr. Maduekwe told reporters, showing off his
unbruised head and hands and marveling at escaping without injury when two
buses collided head-on, with him somewhere in the middle.

The impact in Wednesday's crash knocked the bicycling minister into a ditch.
Mr. Maduekwe had been pedalling to a weekly cabinet meeting in Abuja as part
of his campaign to promote bike riding as a way to get around in
traffic-clogged Nigeria.
Nigeria's major cities are notorious for traffic jams, known as "go-slows,"
that last long, unmoving hours.

Nigerians widely regard biking on their streets as a high-risk activity and
Mr. Maduekwe's campaign as a stunt. After his accident, a newspaper thanked
him for providing Nigerians with "something to laugh about."

For his part, Mr. Maduekwe said he would keep on biking, but indicated
security guards might flank him from now on.

"Accidents can happen anywhere, on land, sea and air," the transport
minister said, saying the real problem was not his bicycling but too many
cars.