‘I rode my bicycle from Abidjan to Lagos for Chibok girls’

Weekend Magazine: Why did you decide on this expedition?
Opeyemi ‘Yemozy’ Oyekoya: I love to travel; I am considering making a career of it. I wish I could spend all my time travelling to new and exciting countries. I tend to be the most adventurous, not just in my family, maybe in Lagos State. I am a lover of two-wheels and I have been through a number of motorcycles, some second-hand and some very close to new but none new! I run a website which recently went public aimed at collaborating with fellow audience interested in the fields of explorations, motorcycle/bicycle adventures, physical challenges and healthy lifestyles.
I embarked on this trip in the hope to implore the Nigerian government not to be silent on the issue of the missing girls and to raise more international awareness as the girls were at the time about to spend a year with the terrorists; hoping, wishing and praying that all efforts being put towards their rescue, ensures their safe return. It is getting clearer every day that hope has dwindled a year after the girls were kidnapped. The ride for the Chibok girls was to encourage every one of us to continually think about ways we could leverage whatever skills we have towards the #BBOG campaign. I boxed all my items down to Ivory Coast via public transport and then cycled back to Lagos
WM: Why Abidjan, what’s the connection?
Oyekoya: I rode my bicycle for almost two years across south-western states in Nigeria. Our roads are terrible to ride on. I met some people who ply the Lagos-Abidjan route and they assured me of a smooth ride without insurance, of course, I made up my mind afterwards. Again, since riding safe without any attack was my main concern and very important for the cause I rode for; starting from Abidjan was key for me since it will take me through the coast of West Africa.
WM: How long did you plan it would take you to accomplish?
Oyekoya: Initially, I was planning the journey for a month but the postponement of the election affected it and I had to shorten the days to 12 so that my arrival in Nigeria would commemorate with the one year global match. I later put myself up for a test by riding to Ijebu-Ode first. I have since then done several trips to some other states like Ibadan and Ile-Ife.
WM: Can you share with us your experience?
Oyekoya: I’m safely back at home. No horror stories, no hateful people, except for the Ivoirians who were a bit unfriendly because of language barrier. I did a minimum of 100 km daily; that is Lagos-Ibadan. I slept once in a mosque, once in a church, twice at a police post in Ghana and the other days in hotels. I had to pass the night in all those places because sometimes I needed to further ride an extra 40-50 km before I could get a place to sleep.
WM: Asides fulfilling your initial ambition what else have you achieved?
Oyekoya: Having all my families, especially my parents believe in me is my biggest achievement. I’ve been successful in my roles to my younger sisters, to my parents, to my friends, nieces, nephews and cousins. My parents gave me the greatest gift anyone can give a child, they believed in me. I’ve been very fortunate to always have my parents support for anything I get involved with… my dad was initially worried about the idea of cycling but he never doubted me. He supported me financially  and my mum, a fervent and prayerful Christian, she never stopped fasting till I set my foot back home…I’m blessed! No words could properly thank the wonderful #BBOG team who made the whole trip truly unforgettable. A general achievement for me is positively touching the lives of other people, even in the simple things I do.
WM: Where some have commended your initiative, others have said you did it for cheap publicity. What do you say about this?
Oyekoya: The same people before the trip would have said, ‘you can’t ride it’ and when you do, they say ‘it is cheap publicity.’ It doesn’t matter; the focus should not be on what they say. Talk is cheap. It must be on action. I only wish they could hit the road with a bicycle and do Lagos to Ibadan which is just a 100 km and see how cheap that could be in comparison to a 1000 km cycle I did. The trip in itself was financially demanding, physically and emotionally draining.
WM: Many expected you should have gone to Sambisa or Chibok, not Ivory Coast. What’s your take on this?
Oyekoya: It was not a military-ride-operation. It was an awareness ride. A ride to encourage everyone to join the campaign and to continue to raise public awareness on the plight of the Chibok girls, for the government to do whatever it takes to bring back our girls. Some artistes dedicated songs to the Chibok girls, why didn’t they tell them to go and perform the song at Sambisa Forest? The artistes leveraged on their skills. I’m doing the same, people all around the world who displayed the #BringBackOurGirls placards don’t have to go to Sambisa.  In the words of the Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti during one of the #BringBackOurGirls sit-out in Lagos ‘when a thief comes robbing you at night, you don’t have to run after the thief, you’ll report the case at the police station.’ The West African countries I rode through are known for peace and have a more biker-friendly route than Nigeria where fuel tankers and ‘Danfo’ buses chase you left, right and centre.
WM: Is this the first expedition you have embarked on?
Oyekoya: My first expedition was in 2007. I rode my motorcycle across 29 states in Nigeria; it was such a lovely experience. There were no terrorist attacks at that time.
WM: Was there any point at which you felt like giving up?
Oyekoya: Giving up was not an option. You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have. No one says it would be easy at first. I was physically, emotionally and financially ready. I got tired several times on the way but giving up was never an option, even if the thought came to my mind, I would think of the reason I started.
WM: What next from here?
Oyekoya: Still on the matter! #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS and not until they’re back and alive!
WM: Could you share any particularly unforeseen incident you came across during the expedition?
Oyekoya: Not until I crossed into my country Nigeria, somewhere after Badagry junction. A woman nearly hit me from behind with her car, she was using her phone while driving. She came very close but she managed to swerve her car back on track. I was a bit brushed by her side mirror. When she stopped, I thought she wanted to apologise but these were her words: “big head, you are driving bicycle while your mates are driving latest Landcruiser in town, you are here on ‘keke’ (bicycle),” she hissed and drove off. I told myself, ‘boy, welcome to Lagos.’