Why I started Bright Smile

My name is Dennis Aza Kange. I am from the Food Basket of the Nation – Nigeria. I grew up never knowing how to ride a bicycle or enjoying the thrill of cycling around the neighborhood with friends, even though my grandfather was a renowned bicycle repairer. My grandfather, also known as captain died at the age of 106, but I lost my father at a very young age to a road accident – an incident which completely transformed my life.

No family should have to endure such needless pain.

Fast forward 3 decades later, as a program coordinator with African Cycling Foundation a nonprofit organization promoting grassroots cycling, I discovered the life-changing potential of the bicycle and finally I had to teach myself how to Ride with the unlikely support of my gateman Abu.

Surprisingly, I picked it up quickly, and soon cycling became my early morning routine. Before office hours, I would ride through Lekki phase 1, across the link bridge and onto Bourdillon and Gerard Road. By the time I returned, showered, and settled into work I was filled with joy, positive energy, and renewed sense of purpose which kept me lit up through out the day.

That experience made me realize something very important: the power and potential of pedaling. The bicycle is more than just a means of transportation. The bicycle is a powerful instrument:

• A means of exercise and fitness.
• A pathway to inclusion and source of empowerment.
• A platform for family bonding and community health/well-being.
• A tool for social change.
• A catalyst for positive energy.
• A growing sport with economic potential.
• An eco-friendly, sustainable mode of transportation.

We see bicycles as symbol of possibility and tools of joy, health, mobility, and unity. Sadly, too many people do not yet know about this magic of the bicycle. 

That conviction, combined with my personal passion, inspired the birth of Bright Smile Empowerment Initiative. The Bright Smile was born – To inspire positive energy in everyday life; to enable people to unlock their full potential, and to create safe, inclusive, and sustainable spaces in cities where wellness thrives.

But long before this discovery, my life had already been shaped by tragedy. At the young age of 50, my father just entering his prime as a father, a community leader, and a statesman, was recklessly killed in a road accident. The scar of that loss left me with a lasting conviction: No family should have to endure such needless pain.