By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Editor

This is not your regular story. It sounds more like the stories of legends passed down through generations. The fantastic elements of the tale leave you imagining its possibility. From beginning to end, you are left wondering about the motivations behind a 69-year-old embarking on an unimaginable adventure. But that’s what makes it an interesting account of bravery and courage.

The man at the centre of this exploit is Mr. Ibi Sofekun, who is embarking on a 90-day motorcycle trip from Europe to Africa. He is touring more than 40 countries in this trip that seeks to draw attention to the mental health of the boy child. In this interview, Sofekun bares it all about his adventure,  which is scheduled to commence in June.

Have you always been an adventurer? 

I am a bohemian. I don’t do things the regular way. I have always been an artist, printer, traveller, and photographer. I was the Managing Director of Compass Newspaper Group at some point. Now, I am an avid motorcycle rider. 

For me, a few things define life: nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. So, it is not about the things that you have; it is about the things you do for others, because we all live with the hope of becoming memories. This means you must have done something for people—something by which they will remember that, at some point, this person passed through their lives.

You are seeking to embark on a world tour, riding a motorbike. Tell us about it…

I have been dreaming of this tour since 2016. But COVID came and shut the entire world down, truncating the dream in the process. Even when people could fly, you still could not cross land borders with ease.

Before COVID, I was planning to ride from London Bridge to Olumo Rock in Abeokuta. That would have been the shortest route. I would have passed through England, France, Spain, and Africa. But with COVID, I cancelled it. Between then and now, I realised I am no longer young, and decided I should do all I wanted to do around Europe with this trip. I am actually combining the Europe tour with the Lagos–Portugal to Lagos–Nigeria tour as one trip. It is called Ice and Sand. Ice implies that I will be going to Switzerland, and sand implies that I will be crossing the Sahara in Africa.

This has always been my dream. That Sahara—I must cross it. I have been to the edges on a bike, but I haven’t crossed it. Now, I must.

Also, it is not just an adventure because I feel like riding. My theme is called Project Help. We need to start paying attention to the mental health of the boy child. It is believed that the boy child is strong and secure. But he has his pains. He cries and moves on. But if he doesn’t get the opportunity to cry and move on, he can’t have an active future.

If we look at some of the problems of the world, they emanate from the actions of some boys who have become men with the wrong perception. They grow to become easy targets for radicalisation. Look at hate crimes, terrorism, cultism, violence against women, and others. A young boy well-trained with a solid mind will not suddenly deviate into these things. He is built up with a solid mind and knows that he can make things work by sheer hard work, not by some magic.

That’s a powerful vision. Why did you choose the motorcycle as your medium for this message? How do you intend to embark on the tour?

I decided that going from Nigeria to Europe is one trip. I might as well just fly into Europe, buy a relatively cheap used bike, and ride back. But instead of taking the shortest route, I will take the longest route home.

My starting point is Dublin, Ireland—the westernmost part of Europe. I will fly into London, and spend probably about a month there, buy the bike, and register it. The cost of moving one of my bikes from here may be higher than buying one there. I will buy the bike and kit it up there. My aim is to flag off on June 27, 2025, at the Port of Dublin. I will ride into the ferry, which would take me to somewhere near Liverpool.

I will visit Liverpool and Manchester because I must get to Liverpool Stadium so that the supporters will see I am in their home. From there, I will get to Old Trafford, which is the Theatre of Dreams. There are also UNESCO sites I want to see.

Basically, that trip must find something for a myriad of people to see. From there, I would head down south to a place called Land’s End. It is the lowest point in England. From there, I would cross into France by ferry. I would go to the south of Paris, then go down north—Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg—and back into France to get to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is one of those tiny countries.

From there, I would proceed to Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. From Hungary, I will go to Serbia and the Balkans. I will be in Bosnia. I would have loved to go to Albania but I can’t cover everywhere. From there, I will proceed to Slovenia and Italy. In Italy, there are two separate countries—San Marino and Vatican City. I will visit sites like ancient ruins—things that others can learn from.

As you embark on your adventure as a biker, people must learn things from you. Every road has got its story. And when you come back, you become the storyteller.

From Italy, I will ride to Monaco. I will then trace the Mediterranean coast all through France to Spain. At the border of France and Spain, there is a country called Andorra. I will get there before heading to Spain. I will end up in Lisbon, Portugal.

In all the locations I’m going to where there are Nigerian embassies or High Commissions, I will give them the opportunity of seeing Nigeria in a different way. Let them use me to project Nigeria through a different narrative.

Unfortunately, I am not going to Berlin because it is far. It is about an extra 1,000 kilometres. This trip is about 35,000 thousand dollars.

I will get into Lagos in Portugal. Already, I am in contact with the Mayor. My long-term dream is to set up a cultural relationship between Lagos in Portugal and Lagos in Nigeria. I am already talking to the Mayor and they said they would be happy to receive me. It is an election year in Portugal for the municipals. They may be busy, but he said they are ready to receive me.

From there, I will cross to the port of Tarifa in the southern part of Europe. I have been to the West and the East. At Tarifa, I can see Africa across the sea. I will now proceed to the port of Ceuta in Morocco. After Morocco, I will move to Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Mali, and Burkina Faso. I love Burkina Faso. It’s a nation of lovely people. It is a permissive society. I will then proceed to Ivory Coast, Liberia, Togo, and Republic of Benin. I have done 80 per cent of the roads in Benin on a bike. The roads are single carriageways, and they are good.

At what speed limit would you be moving?

In Europe, you are controlled by laws. There are speed limits to be observed. For me, even when the limits are not there, I do between 70 and 80 miles an hour. Long travel is not about how fast. You are on a trip of 25,000 or 30,000 kilometers, and you’re thinking of how fast you’ll get there? No. Your greatest concern is how to conserve energy to last 90 days.

And the faster you ride, the less of the things you can see on the road. I don’t ride fast; I ride far.

90 percent of bikers have never left Lagos, not even going as close as Ibadan. There are two Nigerian girls currently on the road. One is on her way to South Africa. The other one is a Nigerian in Kenya. Her name is Biden. Within nine months of learning to ride, she rode her small Chinese motorcycle to Lagos.

She sold all she had and decided to tour all the 52 African countries. As of today, she owns nothing. She is currently in Morocco, working and travelling. Everybody is moving. It is about keeping a good legacy. One of the things man must achieve in life is to contribute to the body of knowledge. Because of you, somebody would get to know something. We must continue to contribute to the body of knowledge.

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I will most likely enter Nigeria through Seme, but that is not my favourite border point. My favourite is Ketu in Benin. From there, I cross into Imeko, which means I am crossing into Ogun. I like it because it is an interesting border post. Someone’s bedroom might be in Benin while the sitting room is in Nigeria. The town has grown across the borderline.

Any grand reception for you on arrival?

The motorcycle world is a community of friendship. Bikers would definitely come to welcome you. I am also hoping that the Lagos State government will see the public relations value in it. I am not asking them to organise a party because I am not a party person. When government adds its voice to what an individual has done, it goes far and motivates others into working for humanity. A Nigerian is in the Guinness World Records for chess. And he is doing amazing things with people like the disabled. Imagine seeing autistic children performing greatly in chess. It motivates other parents who hide their autistic children into bringing out theirs. I believe the Lagos State government will get involved. I have sent a proposal.

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