Commercial motorcyclists in Kebbi State stand unique among their colleagues across the country, courtesy of their fashion of using green as the colour of their motorcycle seats.
It is very rare to find a commercial motorcyclist operating in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital or any of the other major towns in the state, without covering the seat of his motorcycle with green polythene.
A new visitor to the city will wonder whether using green as seat cover is a law for operating commercial motorcycles in the state as one hardly sees a commercial motorcyclist without it.
It was gathered that the trend began as a fashion, but within a short time, it became a standing tradition because passengers hardly flag down a motorcycle without the green seat.
“Because by riding around the city without the green seat, passengers may be assuming such motorcyclist is a private owner,” a resident said.
It was also observed that the motorcyclists do not go for any special craft work to have the green covering as many people think; rather they use a polyethylene material in doing the job.
Despite using a light polyethylene material to cover the seat, it is uncommon to see commercial motorcyclists with a torn green seat cover, as they take passion in changing the cover frequently to ensure that it always looks new and smart.
The motorcyclists engage the services of hawkers of stickers, who mostly roam the streets to sell their wares, to do the seat cover for them.
A motorcyclist, Bello Danba’u, told Caliphate Trust that since he started the business, he had not rode one without the green seat.
According to him, anytime he buys a motorcycle, he immediately ensures that he has a new green cover for it before putting it on the road.
Danba’u said he met the tradition when he joined the business three years ago.
“The green seat cover gives us identity, so it would be difficult to change to other colours because our passengers identified us by our green seat. We don’t allow it to get old before changing it because looking neat and smart in our type of work is important,” he added.
Chairman of the state chapter of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners, Repairs and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACCOMORAN), Nafiu Zaki, said the tradition of green seat cover has been in practice for years.
He also explained that apart from the seats, other parts of the motorcycles are also covered using the green polyethylene, adding that the trend has added colour to their profession as it has become their identity.
“The essence of covering the motorcycles is in order to maintain its value when selling it out. Once the seat is covered, it will be saved against scratches and other damages capable of reducing its value,” Zaki explained.
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