7th April, 2024
The Lagos State Government on Sunday received Pelumi Nubi, a United Kingdom based Nigerian who embarked on a solo road trip from London, at the Nigeria/Benin Republic border at Seme, Badagry.
Nubi, who crossed into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Seme border in Lagos State at 10:10 a.m. on Sunday, was received by top Lagos State Government officials led by the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, and the Special Adviser on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe.
Pelumi Nubi, a travel content creator, began her solo trip from London, the United Kingdom, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 and arrived in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday, April 7, 2024.
Nubi’s road manifest from the United Kingdom took her through France and Spain in Europe and into Africa through Morocco. She drove across Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and finally Lagos, Nigeria.
The 28-year-old Nubi was given a hero’s welcome at the Seme border by hundreds of Lagos residents, who trooped out to celebrate her courage and determination in setting a record as the first black woman to drive from London to Lagos.
Speaking with journalists immediately after she arrived at the Seme border, Nubi said she was excited to be in Nigeria after over two months of a solo road trip from London to Lagos.
She said: “Thank you so much for having me. I am so grateful to be home. Thank God for a safe journey, and I am really excited for the days ahead.
“I am so grateful to Nigerians. Thanks to everybody. The trip was more than a two-month journey. I started on the 31st of January, and now I am here. I am so excited to have made the trip.
“I crossed the border today at 10:10 am, and it was an amazing reception. There was dancing, and the Lagos State Government welcomed me so well, and it was so nice to have such a home coming right from the border while making my way towards Lagos.”
Speaking further, she said the solo trip from London to Lagos is to showcase the continent of Africa to the world.
“There were so many challenges; from some limitations at border controls to the accident I had, to loneliness, missing my family, to doing this by myself, remember this drive has been solo.
“The car is the testimony. We go through the downs and the ups, just like in life. And honestly, it is just to showcase the continent of Africa that we can truly exploit it more and showcase it to the world more. It has been an absolute pleasure doing this.”
Speaking with journalists, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Idris Aregbe, said Pelumi Nubi has demonstrated a can-do spirit.
He said:” I am super happy. This is the Lagos spirit that we are talking about. I am happy Pelumi did it. She has demonstrated a can-do spirit. She is a role model for other young Lagosians. We can do a lot to make sure that we put our name on the map.
“Lagos tourism is rising. This is what we are talking about in terms of entertainment and hospitality. Lagos will continue to lead in other developments. I am happy that I have a Governor (Sanwo-Olu) who believes so much in youth and tourism, and that is why he is doing a lot.”
Also speaking, Pelumi’s mother, Mrs. Olubukola Nubi, described her daughter as adventurous and courageous.
She said: “As a child, she has always been adventurous. Our first trip together was in 2004. We went to New York; we went to every street. Since then, she has been making her move, and before I knew it, she had travelled to 80 countries.
“Travel is a second name for Pelumi, and she loves it. As our only daughter among two boys, she is courageous, adventurous, and smart. I am proud of her achievement, and I pray God continues to be with her.”