By Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
Public fitness walks have become an increasingly visible feature of civic life in Nigeria. Yet, not all of them deserve applause. The difference between a commendable initiative and a dangerous spectacle often lies in one critical word: organisation. This is why the Walk for BAO, held recently in Ikere-Ekiti, deserves serious attention—not merely as a fitness exercise, but as a practical case study in how civic mobilisation should be responsibly conceived and executed.
I joined my brother and friend, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, at the 10th edition of the Walk for BAO in Ikere, and what struck me once again was the discipline behind the process. Daramola is not a man given to carelessness. He approaches public initiatives with agrarian patience, a keen eye for detail, and a clear understanding that when people gather in large numbers, human safety becomes a moral and organisational obligation.
Having participated in earlier editions of the Walk for BAO, including the one held in Efon-Ekiti, I can confidently say that the pattern has remained consistent. Each edition reflects careful route planning, orderly mobilisation, trained marshals, and deliberate crowd management. Participants are properly guided, movement is regulated, water points are provided, and there is visible readiness for basic health and emergency response. These are not luxuries. They are minimum standards for any walk conducted on public roads.
This point deserves emphasis. Public walks intersect with vehicular traffic, varying health conditions, age diversity, and environmental risks. Without adequate planning, such events can easily become unsafe. The Walk for BAO demonstrates a clear understanding of this reality. Safety is not treated as an afterthought or a public-relations garnish; it is embedded in the very structure of the event.
Notably present were a standard, well-equipped ambulance, a team of medical personnel, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigeria Police, traffic wardens, and security personnel, including operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). Their coordinated presence reinforced the seriousness with which the organisers approached the protection of participants and the general public.
Beyond physical fitness, the Walk for BAO has evolved into a civic awareness platform projecting the ideals associated with Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji—calm leadership, consistency, and community-driven governance. It reflects what has come to be described as BAOism: leadership without noise, mobilisation without aggression, and politics without toxicity. In this sense, the walk becomes both a health-promoting exercise and a subtle form of civic education.
Globally, organised walks have long been used to promote public health and social values—from World Heart Day Walks to peace and wellness walks across Europe, Africa, and North America. These initiatives succeed because they prioritise safety, structure, and continuity. Locally, many similar efforts in Nigeria struggle because these fundamentals are ignored. The Walk for BAO demonstrates that it does not have to be so.
Sustaining such an initiative across ten editions is not accidental. It is the product of trust, credibility, and respect for details—especially those that protect lives. In a society where improvisation often substitutes for planning, this alone makes the Walk for BAO noteworthy.
The lesson from Ikere-Ekiti is simple but important: civic fitness initiatives must be responsibly organised, safety-driven, and purpose-led. When this happens, public engagement becomes meaningful, communities grow healthier, and civic culture is strengthened.
On this score, the Walk for BAO sets a standard worthy of emulation—not only for fitness and body exercise, but also for civic orientation, community mobilisation, and state-development awareness creation. Walk for BAO is a deal, and for these reasons and more, I look forward to joining subsequent editions.
Kudos to Bimbo Daramola and his team.
God bless BAO.
#bimbodaramola
#walkforbao
#ekitistate