Recently, Pelumi Nubi, the Nigerian traveller who embarked on a solo road trip drive from London to Lagos, has been the name on many lips, including the Number One citizen of Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. On Sunday, April 7, she was received in a rousing homecoming at the University of Lagos where students, fans, family, government officials, and her e-family gathered to celebrate her. ROTIMI IGE brings excerpts from her interaction with journalists at the event.
What inspired your Lagos to London journey?
I’ve just always wanted to do something that was challenging for me. I wanted to explore the two places I considered home. That is London and Lagos at the same time. Literally, I’m drawn towards this West African country. Do you know why? The media don’t say much about our heritage in West African countries, except from negative remarks. It was important for me to do this to inspire other black women and other travellers that they can step out of their comfort zone too.
Can you share the most difficult parts of your journey, at what points they happened, and some of the challenges you faced?
The most difficult and longest border I stayed at was in Liberia. I stayed there for two nights. But in terms being a woman, being alone and having just myself to navigate these things, it was challenging. On trips like this, people tend to have a team with them, someone driving, someone doing the medical, logistics and all of that. I had to wear multiple hats and do it all flawlessly while updating people on social media, which was a very important part of the trip in order to go in pure for the next generation.
What was it like navigating the Sahara desert?
Funny enough, the Sahara desert has one of the best roads I drove on. Guinea had one of the worst roads I drove on. So, Sahara people consider the journey through the Sahara as a journey that you must need a two by two; meaning, you would needing a big vehicle. But I did it in my Peugeot 107; a very small vehicle. This was the vehicle I had and it was important that I made use of what I had at the moment. So, that’s why I did it on that vehicle and it lasted for the journey.
Healthwise, how were you able to keep yourself fit throughout the journey?
Listening to my body was the therapy I used. Some days I drove for 10 hours, some days for only one hour, some days I did not drive at all. So really, understanding what my body needed was the thing for me, especially as a woman; we have our monthly time. So, it was important for me to know when I’m tired, when I’m exhausted. I take extra breaks; I go to a fancier kind of place to stay compared to camping in my car. It was all about listening to my body. I had an eye issue in Morocco, I was in an accident in Ivory Coast but just prioritising my health over everything else was what I did.
Many are already on the lookout for what you want to achieve after this. What is your next conquest?
I have always been a traveller. I have travelled to over 80 countries. So, it’s definitely something that I’m going to continue to do. I’m not going to stop suddenly. I would definitely continue to inspire the younger generation. In the educational sector too, we need quality teaching. Also in our border control, we need to make sure that Africa is a freer continent to travel through.
The car crash you were involved in would have been a good excuse to abandon your journey, but you pressed on. How were you able to move on after the crash?
It was important for me to continue. I was trying to prove that that this was possible. So, if I gave up it just kind of stains the message that things are impossible. So, with the community that I have gathered around me, I call them my e-family, it was important for me to just keep exploring.
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