NEED FOR SPEED

Sunday morning in Lagos Island assumes the complexion of a famous Lionel Richie song as the popular Tinubu fountain is a beehive of activities. There are no traders today, just a group of footballers getting the Sunday tradition on. They are not alone in their weekly exertions as a handful of skaters are gathered near the Central Bank premises. Their proximity to the massive building would not be possible during the days when Lagos was still the federal capital, and my observation goes down well with the sweaty trio and a slim fellow who introduces himself as their trainer.
On his off days, Lukman skates for Nigeria. Such dexterity is not reserved for just his fatherland as he also sells this penchant to corporate organisations that employ him and others during their marketing campaigns.
“I have been skating since 1999 but I can ride anything including the skateboard,” he says. “At some point I stopped but later resumed because I was picked for a competition.”
Our dialogue is interrupted when one of the trainees falls flat on his backside while trying to manoeuvre the solitary pair of shared roller skates. He is not deterred by the negative comments from a passing multitude as he rises to his feet for another try. His bloodied co-learners offer words of advice, but these prove futile as he lands flat on his face almost immediately. Fortunately he does not have any visible injuries to worry about and rises for another try at balancing, a primary ingredient for every learner.
“People are scared of falling but there is nothing there,” explains Lukman. “Once they get it they can go anywhere like me. I go as far as Epe with my roller skates.”
Such a distance would be suicidal for a learner but Lukman is just one in a several skating posses that are a ubiquity on Lagos roads and other open spaces within the metropolis. Their preference for Sunday skating fits perfectly alongside the day’s other rituals of jogging and street football.
The skater’s paradise is usually the empty BRT stop or public spaces devoid of cars and people like the Surulere-based National Stadium, National Theatre, Iganmu and Lagos Bar beach which has pockets of these skaters of different ages. But it is not just a routine for them as some like Lukman belong to club concerned with the welfare of its members.
“I am a member of the Island Skaters and if there is anything we usually converge at the National Stadium.”
Such associations thrive on a hierarchical system where promotion is based on one’s proficiency with roller skates. This method pushes members to improve on whatever skills they have so they can move higher in the chain and closer to the perks it brings. Lukman is benefiting from such as his skills are taking him overseas in a few months.
“I have a project I am taking to South Africa soon but it will also involve some training for me once I get there,” he chuckles. His temporary flight is not due to government’s indifference to the sport but a way of improving the skills which have made him a bride of corporate and governmental organisations for the past 11 years.
“The state government has also been supportive and ensure we feed from this sport. It is profitable as banks use us for marketing campaigns and we share handbills. But we have so many people who can do this and they need people to build them up. I used to play ball before now too but went to learn this. Once you can handle this, you can also handle the one for skating rinks despite the difference.”
Nigerians might not embrace winter sports in the distant future but there is the Nigeria Skating Federation, Nigerian Inline Skating Association (NISA) and Nigerian Roller Sports Association. In a 2004 report published on weblog.com, the NSF, which also has a Facebook page with 175 members, stated that an estimated number of 3,000 skates were sold in Nigeria during the first quarter of that year alone, a big difference from the 600 that were sold in 2003. Apart from the associations, there are also innovations to the whole idea of skating as some weird sports are sprouting to accommodate the adrenaline cravings of the growing acolytes of this foreign import.
A good example is handball with players using skates.
Daring stunts like clinging to mobile bikes or cars for momentum are also a common sight. This need for speed packs a total disregard for safety as the skates which could be the padded recreational or inline speed versions can attain speeds of up to 100 km per hour depending on the smoothness or sloppiness of the stretch skating space. But there are other worries that Lukman reveals as we watch his learner lift himself off the concrete for the umpteenth time.
“The police don’t disturb us but we are very wary of those we teach because people are funny. There are some who might want to learn it for crimes but we know them and don’t encourage them.”
Such pervasion of skill would be shocking indeed, but for clean characters like Saheed who is a furniture maker based in Idumota, skating is a contingency plan which is not upset by the high cost of the kits he dons with pride.
“The whole kit is around N25,000 which covers the helmet, skates and pads. The chewing gum tyres are what you have to change after a while but the streets of Lagos are okay for them,” he says. “Today is my second day of training and before that I used to play ball on Sundays. The trainer developed my interest after I was always seeing him on skates. He is one of the best in Lagos Island and I am learning for free because I’m his friend so all I got was my kit. If I were learning from a club I’d have to register and pay a fee on each day of training.”
His shin bruises also buttress the fact that he is still a tyro when it comes to skating but his cheerful disposition to this late start also houses some big dreams.
“Learning is one part you cannot do without because once I am in, they will put me on a higher rank in whatever club I join. I will still join a club but I have to know this very well before that happens.”