Travel enthusiast and lifestyle influencer, Pelumi Nubi arrived in the bustling city of Lagos, on the 7th of April, 2024, to a hero’s homecoming.
The University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, received Miss Nubi with “with carnival-like performances courtesy of students of Creative Arts Department and University of Lagos International School (ISL) as well as cheers from the crowd of admirers and well wishers who had awaited her arrival not minding the scorching sun”-unilag.edu.ng
It all began at the beginning of the year. Whilst many were making new year resolutions, Nigerian-born Pelumi Nubi decided to take it a step further by seeing her audacious dream through. Determined to drive solo from London to Lagos, she took a trip that no other black woman had ever taken. “As far as I know, no black woman has made this journey before. But hey, this isn’t about breaking records. It’s about showing the world that ‘impossible’ is just a word, especially when you’ve got enough grit and determination”, she gushed in a recent interview with The Tribune.
After voyaging from France, to Spain, and then Morocco, she eventually made it into West African terrains. She drove through countries like Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, amongst others. Each time she entered a new country, there was always a welcome party at different locations, in her honor.
Her trip, which took approximately 68 days, started on the 30th of January, 2024, and concluded on the 7th of April, 2024.
Pelumi’s journey was not without unfortunate circumstances. On the 26th of March, she posted a photo of her wrecked Peugeot 107, nicknamed Lumi, on her Instagram page with a one-line caption “pray for me”. You would think that the incident would deter her. But the very next day, she was back at it, traveling through Ivory Coast where the accident had occurred.
When asked in a recent interview why she chose to do this, Miss Nubi responded “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.
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.”
In a rewarding turn of events, The Lagos State government honored her with a home, a car, and an ambassadorial position.
Though Pelumi Nubi has now become a pointer to everyone afraid to do anything, this is definitely not the last of her exploits yet.
In her words, “honestly, society will tell you what to believe and most times society tells you that you’re not good enough. It tells you that you’re not qualified enough and it will be a double tragedy, if you put those assumptions and beliefs on yourself. I honestly believe that, yes, society can disqualify me, but I’m not going to disqualify myself.”