Uncategorized

Babatunde Hafsoh: Lady Immigration Officer Who Toured 36 states On Bike

  Reading time 9 minutes

 

Babatun Hafsoh Olayemi, a 29-year-old biker who is a junior officer in the Nigeria Immigration Service, Ogun state command, has traveled round the 36 states of the federation. Hafsoh is the first female biker in the country who holds that record. She has also traveled to the Benin Republic and some  other parts of African countries. Her recent voyage was around the 19 northern states of Nigeria, A journey she embarked on  on his multimillion naira power bike despite the hike in the price of fuel. She spoke to journalists in this interview in Abeokuta, Ogun state. 

Advertisement

Travelling to the north alone on a bike, isn’t that risky?

When I was travelling in the Northern part, it was more risky because that part is not safe and that’s one of the reasons I embarked on the trip and for safety reasons I was restricted to riding during the day time. Once it’s beyond evening I would sleep anywhere I am.  I had to ride through a longer route for safety reasons instead of a shorter route which is safer and the north is very far. 

 

When did you start this journey?

I started the journey in the northern part on 4th of June and I ended it two weeks later. I started from Abeokuta; I headed to Akure from Akure to Kaba, from Kaba to Lokoja, from Lokoja to Abuja, from Abuja to Nasarawa Lafia, from there to Bauchi from Bauchi to to Gombe, Adamawa,  Jalingo. Because the routes were not safe from Maiduguri to Taraba, I had to go to Yola then ended the journey in Akure.

What can we know about Hafsoh?

 I’m an Immigration officer and a fashion designer.  I started biking last year (2022) September, less than a year now. My reason for joining the biking world was because I felt biking was cheap but when I joined it was a different thing but I thank God I joined.  Recently I did a tour round the northern part of Nigeria. I have traveled the whole part of Nigeria. I have also taken a tour of Togo and Cotonue. I am an Immigration Assistant (IA) 1  in the Immigration service. I reside here in Abeokuta.

Are you married?

No, I’m single.

What was the reaction of your parents when you made your travelling  intention known to them?

My parents were not really happy when I told them that I was going to embark on the tour but I assured them that I would be safe and we all prayed about it.  While on the trip, I was always calling to give them an update. 

How did you cope with the weather in the north?

When I went to Sokoto, the weather was very hot, I had to rest every hour to take some water or rest. When I got to Plateau, the weather was cold. Some environments were conducive enough while some were not so most times,  I checked the weather.

Where is your usual take off point?

I’m always taking off from Abeokuta. I traveled from Abeokuta to Togo and other parts that I have toured to. 

Any fear in the course of moving?

Yes, when I went to Taraba, on my way to Jalingo, I went through a lot. The road towards getting to Jalingo is a terrible road, but I wasn’t really aware of it. I initially took the road because I felt it was shorter but I realized that the former  road that I ignored for this road was better, though longer.   The road was more than 120 km but the police van that I saw was just two so it was so scary traveling on such a road where security was not guaranteed. By the time I got to town, people that saw were wondering how I was able to survive that road. 

While on the trip, did you have any encounters with dangerous animals?

I didn’t experience that. Even when children and herders saw me, they just waved at me so I just moved on.

Your next trip ?

My next trip is to Senegal. I should be able to, because my last trip was equivalent to getting to Europe. There Are just 30 minutes left, it’s not far because the whole trip through the North was 5,920km. 

How did you navigate through?

I was able to navigate my way through the map and people who had traveled that part.  At some points I called people from there to ask which route is safer. 

 What inspired you to do this?

I love to explore, I love to see things myself. The reason why I traveled to the northern part was because people say the north is not safe but I was able to. I decided to see for myself and I was able to go as far as Sokoto and Maiduguri and the people there were not as bad as I thought. They were really accommodating.  

I’m a junior officer in the Immigration Service, I joined in  2016. 

What’s your educational background?

For my first degree, I attended University of Ibadan and for my Masters, National Open University. 

How much did you get for your bike ?

Getting a bike is as expensive as getting a car. I went to training school in Lagos and also have some of my friends that educated me before I started. The duration of my training was four weeks. 

Will you continue biking when married?

I hope I marry a man that will support and encourage me when I’m married. 

How expensive is the trip?

My trip to the north was more than a million. I can’t say the exact price. It wasn’t cheap but it was able to raise the money somehow. When I started the planning, people almost discouraged me but I was able to see beyond what they saw. Venture into was nice though, expensive. I’m glad I did it without a sponsor.

How did you cope with fuel consumption?

Fuel consumption on a daily basis, is averagely N30, 000 or more depending on the trip and that was for the last trip.  It depends on the distance I want to cover. Sometimes 700, 600 depending on the distance.  The fuel consumption of my bike is not as high as that of a car.

 

How many KM per hour?

200 KM per hour.

 

Combining bicking  with work, how do you cope?

I embark on my trips whenever I’m on work leave.  I cannot leave the office without taking permission. My last trip too was during my leave.  I embarked on the Cotonou trip on the weekend. I left on Friday and came back Sunday evening. 

Which of the countries are you considering for the next trip?

I’m planning to go to Senegal and I pray it works. 

Have you ever thought of going to europe?

I want to tour the whole of West Africa first then, after that I can go beyond. Just like I started with the intention to tour around Nigeria and I have been able to do that. It’s one step at a time. 

 

 

 

     

 

  

 

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button