‘I became a power-bike mechanic by accident’

Gambo Ibrahim, 31, was working as an apprentice mechanic, working on Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles, known as ‘Ladies’ when one day, a client brought a power bike which was dismantled and could not be coupled. He, along with his bosses and other apprentices joined hands and put it back together. The bike’s engine ran […]

Gambo Ibrahim, 31, was working as an apprentice mechanic, working on Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles, known as ‘Ladies’ when one day, a client brought a power bike which was dismantled and could not be coupled. He, along with his bosses and other apprentices joined hands and put it back together. The bike’s engine ran smoothly and functioned fine, to the admiration of other mechanics, apprentices and onlookers. “So you can say I specialised in fixing power bikes by accident,” he smiled.
Ibrahim said the feat saw their Kaduna workshop flooded with clients who want their bikes fixed, too, leading to their specializing in power bikes and dropping smaller motorcycles. He, with a colleague called Uba, opened their own workshop in Barnawa nine years ago and has gone a step ahead of his former employers, as he has added off-road quad cycles to his specialisation. He even paints, reconstructs and sells parts through orders in Lagos or abroad.  
On the time an apprentice needs to become seasoned, Ibrahim said it requires about two years to learn how to service and repair power bikes. He’s trained a number of mechanics who have gone on to float workshops of their own as widely as Abuja, Niger and Kano states.  
When asked about the best motorcycles, he smiled. “Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki, in that order,” he added, noting that the popular Harley Davidson is not prominent in Nigeria, mainly because it’s expensive. He also said popular motorbikes include BMW models.
There are many second-hand power bikes in Nigeria, Ibrahim said, because the new ones are quite expensive. He gave an example with the four-wheel quad bikes, which cost between four hundred thousand to six hundred thousand naira.
For safety, Ibrahim cautioned young riders to wear kits like helmet and knee and shoulder protectors as power bikes are faster than conventional ones.
Noteworthy power bike aficionados in Kaduna include Senator Ahmed Aruwa, Ahmed Dasuki, Abba Dasuki and others.  
Ibrahim currently has fifteen apprentices in his workshop and says his young children will later join in the trade. “It’s a good, interesting vocation,” he said.