Lagos monarch lauds cycling club for empowering youths

Cycling group. File photo

The Onilegbale of Lagos, Oloye Gbolahan Oki, has announced plans for a community cycling club for young people and adults in his domain and pledged to sponsor between 50 and 100 children and youths as its first members.

The monarch, whose full title is Ogboni Iduntafa, made the announcement when a 25-man team of cyclists from Velo NG Community, powered by FT Cycle Care and the Catalytic Cycling Foundation, visited the palace to mark Isese Day and promote Lagos culture.

He praised FT Cycle Care for using cycling as a tool for community development and said the club would be managed by FT Cycle Care and Velo NG Community, in partnership with the Catalytic Cycling Foundation.

According to him, the club will empower youth through cycling, help break the cycle of poverty, reduce drug abuse and the use of illicit substances among young people, and promote tourism, fitness and Lagos cultural values.

The lead of FT Cycle Care said the group was honoured by the trust.

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“We are deeply honoured by Kabiyesi’s trust. This is more than cycling. This is about giving Lagos youths a new path: discipline, purpose and opportunity. With Kabiyesi’s support and our partners at Catalytic Cycling Foundation and Velong Community, we will build a club that makes the community proud.”

The club will offer structured training, mentorship, bicycle maintenance skills and entry into local and national cycling events.

Velong Community, a Fadeyi-based group, has grown from a small circle of cycling enthusiasts into a mentorship programme. Through weekly rides and workshops, it has introduced more than 200 young people to cycling, with sessions on civic responsibility and entrepreneurship. Its lead coordinator, Engineer Femi Thomas, has said it is building leaders, not just cyclists.

“Cycling teaches patience, teamwork, and resilience. These are the very qualities we are instilling in our young people to prepare them for leadership,” he said earlier.