A 29-year-old officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Hafsoh Babatunde, tells ABDULLATEEF FOWEWE how she toured 36 state on a motorcycle
What did you have in mind when you mulled the idea of touring some parts of the country on a motorcycle?
My name is Hafsoh Babatunde. I reside in Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am 29 years old.
Recently I embarked on a journey to the northern part of Nigeria, which most people believe is not safe, and I purposely went there to witness what people have been saying about the northerners. Riding a motorcycle is just my hobby, and it is what I cherish, though my reason for opting for a touring motorcycle is that I can’t afford a car.
Would you have preferred driving a car?
No. I prefer to ride a motorcycle anytime, any day because it is fast, and it is easy to predict my arrival time , and I can get to my destination accurately.
What do you aim to achieve with it?
I am aiming to travel around the world with my motorcycle. It Is a dream, and I wish it could come true.
When did you begin the trip?
I started the trip on 4 June, 2023.
How many states have you visited since you started your journey?
I have been able to tour all 36 states in Nigeria with my motorcycle, and I have been able to travel outside Nigeria as well. I have been to Contonou (in Benin Republic), Cameroon, and Togo.
How many days did you spend on the road on your way to the North?
I spent three weeks touring all the states in the northern part of Nigeria, but I had planned to spend two weeks, but due to what happened on the road an extra week was added to it.
Where did you begin?
I started from Abeokuta (in Ogun State) and headed for Akure (in Ondo State). From Akure, I moved to Kaba and Lokoja (in Kogi State) and stopped at Abaji on the first night of the trip. I started from there the next day to Abuja, Nasarawa, and Benue states. I slept in Benue and later rode to Plateau State the next day. I became sick when I got to Plateau because I was drenched in the rain, so I stopped there and treated myself, and then I started my journey the next day.
What happened on the road that extended your journey by an extra week?
A car hit my motorcycle from behind and it took me three to four days to fix my motorcycle.
What were the challenges you faced on the road?
The first challenge I encountered was missing my way because I had never been to the North. I got lost many times such that I had to turn back and ask for directions. The second one was when a car hit my motorcycle in an environment where I didn’t know anybody, and the driver was not even remorseful before he left. I felt like it was because I wasn’t his tribeswoman. Till now, I am dealing with an injury in my back. The other one was when I was moving to Jalingo in Taraba State. There was a deadly road in the state. There were no cars on the road, so I was the only one riding on the road. I was so scared that I almost gave up. I told myself that if that was where I would die, at least I tried to make a change. The last challenge was when I got to Sokoto; the sun was too much for me, so I fell sick.
What inspired you?
The first thing that inspired me was the desire to be free, and I loved travelling to different places, even before I got a motorcycle. However, I embarked on the trip to the North because people usually say going to the North is not safe and that there are a lot of security challenges in the North. Although it was a tough decision, I wanted to witness what people had been saying about the North. Now that I have been there, I can say what I have been hearing about the North is not really true.
I like doing things differently, especially when everyone has agreed on a single solution. I always want to see reasons why we can do things in another way, and my reason for biking as a female was not because of competition, it was because I always wanted to explore and see more things in my way. I have never regretted riding a bike since I started riding it.
How long did it take you to learn how to ride a touring motorcycle before you began your adventure?
I started learning in September 2022, and since then, I have been using my motorcycle to explore. My first trip was in October 2022, when I rode my motorcycle to Lagos State to attend an event. I was scared when I rode on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at that time, but since that time, I have been travelling on a motorcycle without fear.
Did you go alone, or did someone accompany you?
I was alone throughout my journey.
Why did you choose to travel alone?
The last time I rode with someone, I almost got myself killed in the process of trying to catch up, though I had not become a skilful rider then, and the person who accompanied me kept persuading me to increase my speed. I almost had a crash. So since that time, I made up my mind that it was better to ride alone. It is better to ride slowly and stay safe than to ride faster and have an accident.
What do you do for a living?
I am an Immigration officer and also a fashion designer. Biking is just a hobby I like exploring with a bike, not as if I am making money with it.
If you are married with children, what did your husband tell you when you told him you wanted to embark on that journey on a motorcycle?
I am single, and I don’t have any man in my life. That added to the freedom to choose what I wish to do by myself.
What were your parent’s reactions when you told them?
Well, my parents didn’t agree with me when I first told them I wanted to travel to the North on my motorcycle, but when I let them understand the purpose of my travel on the bike, and let them know that I could not achieve it without their support, they were convinced and decided to support me. And when I started the journey, we spoke on the phone every three hours to confirm if I was okay.
How did you cope with the financial cost of the trip, considering the hike in the price of petrol?
The fuel price was around N250 when I was planning the journey. It was a few days before my trip when the Federal Government announced the removal of the fuel subsidy, but I didn’t have a choice but to go ahead with the trip. Mostly, I spent N30,000 on fuel. It depends on where I am heading. I can say fueling the bike was the most expensive thing I spent money on throughout my trip.
As an Immigration officer, how do you combine your duties at the office with touring around on the motorcycle?
I always travel when I am on vacation, but my journey to Cotonou and Togo was on a Friday, and I returned on the following Sunday. I don’t really have time to explore, so I always try to utilise the little time I have.
Did you seek permission from the Nigeria Immigration Service before embarking on the trip?
Yes, I usually inform my boss about my trip before applying for leave.
You said your parents didn’t allow you to embark on the trip the first time you told them. What were their fears?
Their first fear was the insecurity issue in the North and the fear of me being the only girl in the family. My mother was so worried about that.
Were your parents afraid that you might be kidnapped or killed by bandits?
They were scared that I might be killed or kidnapped. It’s funny how one of my friends even asked me why I decided to do this because even if money was given as a reward, he would not risk his life for it.
How much did you budget for the trip?
I started preparing for the journey before they removed the fuel subsidy, so my budget was N700,000. So, I had to reconsider it and apply for a loan.
How much did you spend?
I spent more than N1m. I spent N30,000 on fuel in a day. And I spent nothing less than N20,000 on accommodation per day, N40,000 sometimes, depending on the location. Feeding was also there.
Was there a point when you ran out of cash?
Yes, there was a point when I ran out of cash. It even happened at a filling station.
How did you survive?
I called my parents to help with any amount because I didn’t have a sponsor, and I had spent more than my budget.
How much loan did you apply for, and was the loan from a bank?
I requested N1m from my sister, and I have not been able to return the money. I would have gone ahead to collect the loan, from a bank when my sister didn’t want to grant the loan request, but I was afraid of the bank’s interest rate.
When you ran out of cash and food, did you have to feed on fruit from the bush or forest?
No, because I was scared, though I got to a village where the villagers and the palace workers entertained me with fruit.
Did you encounter any wild animals while on the road?
Yes, I saw a crocodile on the road, and I wondered how it survived in the desert.
Did you meet security agencies on the road, and did they stop you?
Yes, I met them, and they scrutinised me to be sure I was an officer.
How did they feel when they saw you?
They felt surprised that a Yoruba lady was on a trip to the North alone. Some introduced me to their superiors for appraisals.
Did any of them ask you for a bribe?
Not at all. Most even gave me money for my confidence.
Why are you not married? Is it because you have not found a man you prefer?
My reason for being single is not because I have not seen a preferred man, but I don’t even have any. I have tried to be in many relationships, even when I was 25. It is just that I am not comfortable with them. There was a time when societal pressure almost put me in a relationship that I would have regretted and sought a divorce if it resulted in marriage.
Was there any point during your trip that you felt like cancelling it or returning home?
Yes. I felt like abandoning my trip three times. The first time was when a car damaged my motorcycle and I spent three days in a mechanic’s workshop fixing the motorcycle. It wasn’t easy for me then. Also, all the people I expected to encourage me did not do that. I felt mentally drained, so I needed to drive the motorcycle to the next state, which was Adamawa. The second challenge I faced was communicating with people. It wasn’t easy for me because I didn’t understand Hausa language. I also reached a stage where I could not lift myself on the bike because I was very tired. At one point, I cried while riding my motorcycle on some roads I found scary.
How did you protect yourself from attacks or any other security challenges?
No, I didn’t have any weapons on me. I just left home with ‘Bismillah,’ and I was praying and hoping everything would be fine. I believe that if a person is going on a trip and they have weapons on them and they later encounter bandits, if they wanted to spare that person’s life but later found out that they had weapons, they would not hesitate to kill such a person. That is my belief about them.
Where did you rest after a day’s trip?
On every trip, I lodged in a hotel, because my movement was restricted to the daytime. So for security reasons, I lodged in a hotel wherever I got to at 5pm, and continued my journey the next day.
Were there days you slept on the road because you could not find a place to lodge?
No, it is not safe for me as a lady to sleep on the road. I always made sure I got to where a hostel was located before I stopped. However, it wasn’t easy to get a hotel in some states because most of the hotels were not registered on the map. That was what made it hard to navigate.
How did you feel when you concluded your tour and returned home?
It was stressful, but I was very excited when I returned home because I don’t think anybody has ever done it (toured the North on a motorcycle).
How were you received?
I didn’t receive any special reception when I got home because I didn’t tell many people about my trip. The whole trip covered 5,920 kilometres, which is equivalent to the distance between Abeokuta and Spain. So it was stressful, but I felt fulfilled that I did it alone.
What is the next step for you?
Well, I would like to travel more and wish I had enough time to explore. I want to tour the world alone, and I would be happy to come back and tell people stories about the places I visited. When you travel you don’t lose, you acquire knowledge in learning cultures and see things in a good or bad way yourself. So travelling is fun; it might be expensive though, but the knowledge you acquire can’t be measured by the money you spend.
Where are you planning to go next?
I want to go to Senegal or Kenya, but I prefer to go to Senegal because I feel the place is nice, according to what I have been watching online. I would like to go and confirm it myself.
Do you think touring different places is something other women should try?
I will advise young ladies to be positive and do things that will bring honour to them. And for everyone who wants to try biking, it is risky, but if you can take proper precautions, you will get to wherever you’re going safely. Whatever we do, we should just put our minds to it and be positive. So, I want young girls out there to explore and explore rightly.
