'I sleep for borders two nights for Liberia' - London to Lagos driver tok wetin she face for road

Social media influencer Pelumi Nubi wey drive from London to Lagos don tok say she embark on dis kain journey sake of say pipo no plenti for industry wey dey do dis kain tin.

"Especially for black pesin, women, becos expectation for society plenti, say you must do dis, you must do dat.

"But to see pesin wey go just dey brave, go out and do di tin, e dey veri important," she tell BBC News Pidgin.

Pelumi wey drive 10,000km from London arrive for Lagos on Sunday to di reception of many Nigerians wey welcome her back.

She bin embark on a solo road trip from January 2024 wey go make her cross ova 17 kontris bifor she go enta Nigeria and na her own way to break barriers and redefine boundaries as a woman.

On 25 March 2024, Pelumi bin post for her Instagram page say she don get accident wit her small car for Liberia wey she don dey use cross different kontris from London.

For di video, e show say di side of di car don destroy and e go take time to repair.

Di video show say dem rush her go hospital for inside ambulance and medical pipo dey attend to her.

Di car damage slow down her journey wey suppose end by March but she survive di accident afta di bumper and windscreen bin destroy for di accident.

Many bin tink say her journey don end afta dat accident but di determined traveller kontinu her waka.

"Afta di accident, make I no lie, e shock me becos one minute I dey drive, one minute airbag dey out," she tell BBC News Pidgin.

Pelumi wey don travel to ova 80 kontris of di world bifor bin tok say she make correct preparations wey include to know di safest routes, policies and cost of di journey.

London to Lagos, Pelumi Nubi journey

Na on 31 January 2024 she start her journey from London and na France she first go wit her small car wey get different items wey include kitchen and bed wey she go need for road.

Pelumi use ferry transport across di rivers wey dey road till she enta Paris den she cross go Barcelona for Spain on 4 February 2024 bifor driving to Malaga.

By 10 February, Pelumi di traveller enta Morocco afta dem place her and di car for ferry at di price of €115 so as to cross di sea. Morocco na di first African kontri she enta since she begin her journey from London by road.

She spend about £295 (N501,333) for fuel wey carry her from UK reach Morocco.

Bifor she drive enta Sahara Desert, she bin get eye problem and she quickly find one clinic to do treatment on 18 February.

By 20 February, she cross enta Sahara Desert and den pass di border into Mauritania.

E take 23 days and 6,967 kilometres for Pelumi to travel by road reach Mauritania, den by 2 March, she enta Senegal.

On 8 March, she cross enta Gambia through ferry and by 13 March, she enta Guinea Bissau wia she also do checking for her car afta di dangerous roads wey she drive through.

Wen she bin wan cross enta Sierra Leone on 19 March, dem no allow her sake of say her car na ‘right hand drive’. She begin dey cry as she wait and hope say dem go release her and let enta di kontri. Dem finally allow her afta some border officer step in to help her.

Becos of di delay, her arrival for Nigeria wey suppose be on di 23 March bin shift go 7 April 2024.

She lament say to cross West African kontris na her hardest and worst experience - dis na sake of say dem no allow her access into Liberia on 24 March.

She spend two night for Liberia border afta she chop some cold garri and dey wait for miracle to allow her enta di kontri.

"Wen border dey delay you six, seven hours. Sometimes I sleep for border two nights for one time for Liberia. Having dis, you know e just make travel difficult," she tok.

Dem finally allow her enta Liberia on 25 March afta wey she don taya and dey frustrated. Na di Nigeria embassy for Liberia help her sort di issue wen dem allow her into di kontri.

Liberia na di last kontri wey she reach bifor di tori of her accident.

She say wetin dey most challenging for her journey na di language barrier sake of say na French dem dey speak for some of di kontris wey she travel to and she no sabi di language.

About oda challenges, she tok: "Sometimes di local food, e dey do someone somehow for belle sometimes, so you no go know wetin you dey chop.

"But I dey veri adventurous, I wan chop evritin wey I see."