Compiled by Florence Amagiya

Just the other day, I was running late for work and I decided to climb a bike to a reasonable extent, before boarding a bus. When this particular okoda rider stopped by me, he was not wearing a crash helmet and I thought he would comply with the law as soon as he picked another passenger. So, I sat on the bike and demanded for my helmet in the interim. He told me that the road safety officers were off the road at that time, and that I should bother myself about it. I told him, ‘I am not worried, rather I needed to wear the helmet. In that process, he brought out one helmet and handed it over to me. I demanded that he put on his own helmet, but he ardently refused. So, I stepped down from his bike and went my way.

What is the importance of crash helmet in the first place? Could it be that it is a fashion statement that is not necessary? Whom are we fooling? What is the worth of your life? From the little, I know about the crash helmet, it is meant to protect the head of the okoda rider and his passenger . It is not right to say the helmet is dependable because some of these helmets come in plastic forms. It is also not right to conclude it covers the entire body completely after all, only the head gets covered. It was made in such a way that the rider or the passenger’s head is a protected in event of accident. But this is not a total protection because the other part of the body is exposed either.

What kind of life is this?

A visit to the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi in Lagos State and other hospitals across teh country reveals sad stories of young lives who were cut short, or maimed for life by the careless driving and sometimes overzealous nature of the motorcycle riders. The riders have come to believe and obey only one law, the fastest maneuver wins the dough in every traffic situation. For some motorcycle riders ‘patience is a word, now in extinct like the dinosaurs’ .I know that we are all looking for means of survival, but don’t you think it is better to be late than never ? What is the worth of your life? Who will inherit your wealth when you are no more? How can you possibly explain what happened to you that is if you are alive after the accident! Take it gently, there is no hurry in life.

Each day we leave our homes in search of our daily bread, we should always have it at the back of our minds that there are people who are depending on us. They will be miserable and unhappy if we do not return to them alive. We should also remember that life is all about choice and options. And that God will not force you to do what He wants you to do, you will choose to become what you want to becom ein life. The choice you make in life will either take you to the next level or destroy you.