 Now for most Nigerians, cycling ends with childhood, but the benefits of this recreational activity are enormous. Some Nigerians are now showing renewed interests in cycling. African Sophia Foundation is a non-governmental foundation. The NGO is encouraging Nigerians of different ages to embrace this routine activity. It's even pushing for a cycling tool for Nigerians. Daniel Okara, J.M., is Ambassador UNESCO Nigeria and we have him joining us live tonight on the show, viasom. Thank you for joining us. Good evening. Thank you very much. Okay, cycling. When I first heard about these from you, I thought, well, I personally don't know how to ride a bicycle, let alone go professional cycling. What brought this interest to you? What brought you into this passion? Well, like you clearly said, cycling, but the major focus of what we're about to do, the African Sophia Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Nigeria, what we are trying to do is we are putting together an African Unity and Sustainability Summit. Now, this African Unity and Sustainability Summit themed regional integration, diversity, and environmental sustainability. It's anchored on two different or three different sectors. One is the Pan-African Progressive Aspiration, the African Agenda 2063, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 that calls for Pan-African Unity in the midst of diversity. The second anchor is the Global Green Goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which calls for healthy living, which calls for an environment with lesser carbon emission, which calls for an environment with lesser cars, but we think of alternative transportation, which is the cycling. And most importantly, we know that cycling is a sport, and this particular sport is not as announced and celebrated like every other sport like the football or the basketball. Cycling is one of, I as a medical practitioner, I can tell you several benefits of cycling, several health benefits of cycling, but we wouldn't go down to that, but that is basically what we are trying to put together. Okay, in other words, you're also looking at reducing the greenhouse effect carbon emission. Are you also aware that there are now hybrid cars being developed every day? So how are you looking to sell this idea of cycling as a celebrated mode of transportation to people in this time and age, when there's a challenge there where there are vehicles who are being developed to run on water? Yes, very, very correctly, there are hybrid vehicles, there are electric vehicles. Now we are not campaigning for cycling to be the number one mode of transportation. No, okay. We are looking at cycling as an alternative mode of transportation, and if you follow through with the program we are putting together, transportation is not the highlight of what we are doing. The highlight of what we are doing is to raise awareness for a sustainable environment, to raise awareness for a greener environment, to raise an awareness for a healthier way of living life. So it goes beyond just transportation. Transportation is just one of it, but most importantly, we are not campaigning for cycling to be the most or the main mode of transportation, but rather an alternative mode of transportation. Amazing. Okay, I get you. All right. Oh, it's like you want to achieve two goals with one idea there. While you want people to embrace cycling as a form of exercise or rather it's already a form of exercise, why you want it to be embraced more popularly, you also want to create awareness through cycling in people to be conscious of the greenhouse effect and to play their role in reducing the carbon emission. Fantastic. Okay. Now you said something earlier that caught my attention, that using cycling to unify Africa. Break it down. How do you want to go about this? So okay, if you're very, I know a lot of people will be familiar with Le Tour de France. So the idea of the cycling competition we're about to put together came from Le Tour de France. So basically what we are trying to do is we're trying to bring people together. People cut across Africa to come together in Nigeria to come and cycle. Afterwards, we entertain them with the summit and educate them most importantly with the African Unity and Sustainability Summit. The cycling is just like a highlight of what we're trying to push out there. The cycling is just to bring young people together, to bring everybody in Africa together and say, okay, look, let us cycle together as one big Africa. Because in Africa, all that we need at the moment is unity. Just as much as we need it in Nigeria, we need unity cut across Africa. And when unity is taken as the most important thing we need, trust me, Africa will be one of the greatest continent we have here in the world. Africa will be one of the greatest continent that it already is. We'll live and show it's serve as one of the greatest continent that it already is. Okay, now you're beginning to sell that idea to me and it's looking really appealing. But again, the last time I cycled was as a child, I don't think I can do it again. Yet, I'm interested as a person. Now, take me as an example. You have someone who is watching you right now and who is picking interest in this loadable project, but doesn't even know how to cycle. So what's your advice to them? Okay, in a situation like that, no offense taken, but it is a sport. Not everybody in particular is familiar with every sport. There are some people who don't know how to play football. It doesn't stop the FIFA World Cup from happening. There are people who don't know how to play basketball. It doesn't stop basketball competitions from going on. There are a lot of, so many of us down here don't even know how to play cricket. Cricket still goes on. So the idea is not to try and create a competitive environment. No. The idea is to call on people who know how to cycle. Come, let us cycle and let us campaign for a healthier, a greener environment. So, but, you know, one thing about cycling is it is a sport that is open to every individual. It is not gender specific. And that is the most important thing. Cycling is not gender specific, is not age specific. We have little children who cycle as well. So that is the beauty of what we are trying to do. We are trying to bring both professionals and amateurs to come together and cycle, not on a competitive basis, but on the campaign for a greener and healthier environment for us. In a few seconds, I'm running off. This is my last question to you, my very last question. You are very important for you to mention something on this before you go tonight. As a medical practitioner, I know that cycling is very beneficial to health. You want to mention some of the health benefits of cycling? Now, one of the health benefits of cycling, most importantly, first of all, is your heart rate. Your heart rate is very important, generally. So any sport that has to do with your physical involvement is very important for the body. And cycling is one of the sports, among other sports, that involves every single part of your body. Every single part of your body. So it is very, very, very beneficial. Maybe next time, whenever I come up with life, I would educate you all more on how beneficial it is to your health, down to your bone marrow. Thank you very much for your time. I would have loved to have you for much longer, but this is the much we can take with you tonight. Thank you very much. We wish you all the best in your endeavors.