Kunle Adeyanju: Nigerian man wey ride bike from London to Lagos tok wetin im eye see and how e do am

“Di Sahara desert no be place where human being suppose dey. Dat place dey unfriendly. Dat place be say e wan kill pesin. Na how Sahara desert be. If di heat no kill pesin, di rain go kill pesin, if di rain no kill pesin, di sun go wan kill pesin. Everytin wey dey dia just wan kill pesin.”

Dis na wetin Kunle Adeyanju tell BBC Pidgin as im dey describe di most difficult route for im journey from London to Lagos.

Adeyanju wey travel to 14 kontris during im trip tok say crossing di Sahara Desert na di most difficult part of im journey.

E tok say e take am seven days to cross di Sahara Desert.

Adeyanju embark on di journey on April 19 sake of say e wan create awareness and raise funds to end polio in Africa, and di Nigerian man arrive for Lagos on Sunday 29 May afta covering 12,000 kilometres.

E tell BBC Pidgin say e wan use di journey to give back to di society and to let pipo know say polio still dey and Africans gat ensure say dem eliminate am from di continent.

Adeyanju tok say im journey don ensure say pipo dey aware of polio as im meet wit women and children for di places wey e travel to enlighten dem about di disease.

“Di ride dey difficult”

E tok say before e embark on di journey, e already know say e no go easy.

“I know say di ride go dey very very difficult. And I tell you, di ride dey very very difficult. Di only tin wey make me finish di ride successfully na becos of di planning.

“I prepare very very well. E take me one year wey I dey prepare for dis journey, wia I dey build my plan, dey check everytin, dey correct di plan, dey rebuild di plan, to ensure say I get plan wey dey very good, wey go carry me for dis journey,” Adeyanju tok.

E tok say some of di plans na to identify di hospital and police stations wey dey di route wey im go follow.

Adeyanju also tok say before e embark on di journey, e go learn mechanic work and vulcaniser work so e go fit repair im bike imsef if e get fault for road.

No be im first adventure

Adeyanju tok say dis no be im first adventure be dis as im don climb Mount Kilimanjaro and also ride bicycle from Lagos to Ghana.

E tok say im family give am dia support as dem know say e dey always plan everytin wey e wan do well.

“My family know di kind of pesin wey I be becos dis no be di first time wey I dey do sometin like dis. I don climb Mount Kilimanjaro before. I don climb am two times, 2008 and 2009. I don ride bicycle from Lagos, take am go Ghana come back,” Adeyanju tok.

Support from pipo for di polio cause

Adeyanju tok say di support wey e get from di journey pass wetin im expect.

E say e meet wit volunteers wey dey go immunise children against polio.

Adeyanju tell BBC Pidgin say pipo dey donate to di polio cause and na Rotary Club dey receive di funds.

How im trip take waka

Afta di Nigerian man start di journey on April 19, e tok say e ride di bike from London to Dover sake of say im dey go France.

“Dover na im be boundary for United Kingdom for London. Na water dey dia, so I need to cross di English Channel, so me and di machine we enta ferry.

“For di ferry, me I pay 30 pounds, dem charge me 40 pounds for my machine. Di ferry na one hour 30 minutes. Di ferry drop us for Calais in France ” Adeyanju tell BBC Pidgin.

From Calais, Adeyanju say e ride im bike to Bourges wia im spend di night. From Bruges, e enta Girona for Spain, den from dia e enta Valencia, from Valencia to Cartagena, and from dia e enta Spain boundary wia Europe finish.

“I kon enta anoda ferry again wey I carri cross Mediterranean Sea. Di ferry pass through where dem dey call Strait of Gibraltar. Dat one no too far, na 40 minutes ferry, na 82 pounds I pay, dem call 40 pounds from me and 42 pounds from my machine. So we cross dat one, naso I enta Morocco.

Di ferry drop Adeyanju for Tangier, den from dia e enta Rabat, afta den e enta Casablanca, from dia e ride to Marrakesh.

Na from Marrakesh Adeyanju ride to Agadir till im komot from Morocco. Den im continue di journey from Mauritania till e enta Lagos.

Highlight of di journey

Adeyanju tok say di highlight of im journey na di story of di African pipo wey im discover.

E tok say e receive beta hospitality from African pipo and e realise say di tins wey e read about Africa from Western news na lie.

“Africa na land of hospitality. Pipo dey friendly. Africa na land of diversity. Pipo dey dia to help you, to make life easy for you,” Adeyanju add.

Wetin be di next tin for Adeyanju?

Adeyanju tok say im next adventure na to ride im bike from Lagos to Israel, den from dia e go enta Asian kontris.

E tok say e go go Tibet to ride im bike for Tibetan Plateau alias Roof of Di World and also climb Mount Everest.

“So na di next adventure be dat. Maybe dis one go be in di next two years, I no know, but na sometin wey I dey plan be dat,” Adeyanju tok.