Kano — An investigation in Kano metropolis reveals that motorcyclists have special dislike for the crash helmet. Daily Trust finds out why.

The introduction of crash helmets by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in January 2009, was intended to reduce head injuries during road traffic accidents.

But despite the obvious advantages of this important crash helmet, the introduction faced serious resistance from motorcyclists, especially commercial motorcycle operators, otherwise known as Okada.

At the beginning of the resistance, Okada riders across the country, offered various excuses for not complying with the directive. Some of the reasons include high cost of the crash helmet, its quality, and in some cases, non availability of the helmet.

In some cases, both Okada riders and passengers proffered hygiene and personal worries over the use of public helmets, which they argued could help spread infectious diseases.

Based on some of these reasons, Okada riders in some states went the extra mile to make mockery of the law, by improvising different kinds of 'helmets'. They used things like dried pumpkin shells, bowls used for measuring grains otherwise known as mudu, perforated jerry cans, different kinds of plastics that fits the head, empty paints and custard containers all in the form of helmets.

But in a bid to facilitate the enforcement, some state governments intervened by procuring helmets for onward sale to Okada riders.

The FRSC on its part extended the deadline for compliance, all in a bid to ensure full compliance. But that didn't convince some of the Okada riders to comply with the directive. In Kano, Daily Trust found out that the level of compliance is next to zero. The Okada riders plying the roads in thousands, could be seen without the safety gadget ,despite the enforcement by the road safety officials.

In Kano city alone, Daily Trust gathered, there are estimated more than two million commercial motorcycle operators plying the ever busy Kano roads. But out of this staggering number, in addition to private motorcyclists, who are also in thousands, you hardly find one with a crash helmet locally referred as Hulan Kwano in Hausa. To them, the crash helmet is a burden and cannot protect them from an accident or even death.

Several motor-cyclists interviewed told Daily Trust they were not interested in using the crash helmet, despite the fact that it is meant for their safety.

Some of them told Daily Trust that accidents or deaths are part of destiny, hence no amount of protection would help them escape their destiny.

Abdullahi Adamu is one of the Okada riders who believes it cannot protect him from death.

"I don't have the crash helmet, because I don't believe it will protect me from any injury. Prayer is more important than using crash helmets, and that is why I always pray at home before coming out for business. If you have belief in Allah, you are covered. He will protect you from any form of accident," Adamu said.

Mu'awiya Jibrin, another Okada rider, said he has been on the Okada business for many years, but he has never thought of using a crash helmet, adding that he has his ways of avoiding the Road Safety officials on patrol.

"Here in Kano, we have our own culture, and people believe a man is not complete with a cap on him. So, many believe that using crash helmets would deny them the opportunity to use their traditional cap.

"A passenger once told me that he would rather trek a long distance, than ply an Okada with crash helmet.

"You will find out that even in some mosques, only people with caps are allowed to be on the front row. So I think it has to do with culture," Jibrin said.

Another rider, Murtala Sama'ila told Daily Trust that he has a helmet, but he stopped using it because of heat.

"I bought my crash helmet when the enforcement was strict, but now I stopped using it because of heat," Sama'ila said.

Surprisingly, Sama'ila said he has witnessed an accident where the helmet protected the head of the rider from being crushed by a vehicle, but insisted that the weather was conducive for him to use his helmet.

When Daily Trust contacted the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Rider's Association of Nigeria (ACMORAN), the Kano State Chairman, Mohammed Sani Hassan, said that in Kano metropolis there are about one million registered Okada riders with the state Board of Internal Revenue. He said apart from the registered ones, there are over 500,000 unregistered Okada riders.

He said in addition to this number, coupled with many private motorcyclists in Kano, there are other Okada riders, who on a daily basis, come into Kano metropolis to do Okada business from neighbouring states like Jigawa and Katsina. They are also over five hundred thousand, thereby putting the total number of motorcyclists in Kano at over two million.

On the use of helmets, Sama'ila said the union is more interested in the overall safety of the riders and passengers, rather than an emphasis on the use of helmets only. "This is why we frequently organise seminars for our people, in order to keep them abreast of safety tips.

During these seminars, we invite the police, road safety and vehicle inspection officials, as well as religious leaders to deliver lectures on safety and security.

He argued that the non compliance was not peculiar to Kano alone, adding that most Nigerians were not comfortable with the helmet.

"I think the government should be more interested in trying to redress the issue of recklessness on our roads, rather than placing emphasis on using helmets. Helmets could only protect one aspect of the body which is the head, and if that is protected, what happens to the other parts of the body. So, I think emphasis should be on safety rather than the helmet," he argued.

A regular Okada passenger, Musa Aliyu Dakata, advised that the need for the road safety body to enforce the law on Okada riders, has been long overdue, because motorcyclists and passengers are more exposed to risks in the event of an accident.

But regarding the enforcement of the law, the Kano Deputy Sector Command of the FRSC, Aminu Umar, said the command has been doing everything possible to enforce the use of the helmet

Umar told Daily Trust that the commission was also worried with the trend ,and added "I want to tell you that most of the Okada riders have helmets. They keep them at home, and only bring them out when we are out on patrol.

"As I am talking to you now, we have impounded over a hundred defaulters, and they have to produce their helmets before we release their motorcycles."

He said the command has now embarked on a sensitisation programme, to make the riders realise that accidents are not all stories, but real happenings.

"It is high time motorcyclists appreciate the importance of wearing correctly fitting helmets, because it helps in reducing head injuries resulting from road traffic accidents," he advised.

But with the number of motorcyclists playing the road, the question is when and how the FRSC would be able to ensure compliance?