By Lucy Adautin
Pelumi Nubi, a 28-year-old travel content creator, has successfully finished her solo road trip from London, UK, to Lagos, Nigeria.
Gboyega Akosile, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Lagos State Governor, announced her arrival via his official account on Sunday.
He said the Lagos State Government welcomed Nubi, a Nigerian-British citizen, who undertook the solo drive at the Nigeria-Benin Republic border.
He wrote, “Lagos State Government gives a hero’s welcome to peluminubi_ , a Nigeria-British citizen who who did a solo drive from London to Lagos.
“Pelumi was received at the Nigeria-Benin Republic border on behalf of Lagos State Government by the Commissioner of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka; and the Special Adviser, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe. Welcome home!”
Pelumi said, “I feel elated and feel amazing. I knew I would have a homecoming, but I didn’t envision that it would be this size. The journey was up and down, but to see the warm welcome from so many people has been incredible.
“I was trying to connect the two places I consider home. I was born in Lagos and I grew up in London, so I wanted to connect both places. Usually, I would fly in, but most times, I wanted to see what West Africa is like and this was an opportunity to do so. In terms of over land travel, there was not enough representation.
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“There were not enough people that looked like me. This would inspire the next generation of young women that they can do daring things, they can step out of their comfort zone and change the narrative of the African continent out there. This journey is opening up the world to other people to visit the continent.
“It was challenging. Having to do it all by myself was challenging. However, the cheering from my online family which grew from 10,000 to more than 200,000 motivated me. I am so grateful to everyone and I do not take it all for granted.”
Nubi’s father, Professor Nubi Gbenga, said, “We are grateful to God because nobody deserves it other than Him. Whatever has happened is God’s blessings. It is not that we deserve it. Many times, we were scared. For me, I was scared everyday, particularly when she was sleeping, because she was sleeping on the roadside in this tiny car (Peugeot 107). In the desert, she slept by the roadside, and woke up in the morning in a forest. When she moved to another town, we would start praying again. For us, it’s been two months of sleepless nights.”
Nubi embarked on her solo trip in a car on January 30, 2024
