Olubo’s ‘A Ride for Life’ nears Lagos after epic West African journey

 

By Maxwell Kumoye 

 

 

Former Nigerian squash champion Moses Olubo is expected to arrive in Lagos on Sunday, bringing closer to home an extraordinary intercontinental journey from the United States to Nigeria on a three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder to raise awareness about mental health.

Olubo, who once ranked number two in the United States, deliberately chose the striking three-wheeled machine to command attention wherever he stops and use the visibility generated by the expedition to spark conversations about mental health and challenge the stigma surrounding mental illness.

The journey, tagged “A Ride for Life,” has taken Olubo across North America, Europe and Africa, turning an endurance adventure into a powerful platform for mental health advocacy and social awareness.

After entering West Africa, Olubo rode through The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic, overcoming difficult roads, mechanical challenges, border-related difficulties and extreme weather conditions along the way.

He is now expected to complete the West African leg of the expedition with his arrival in Lagos on Wednesday.

The African journey has tested both rider and machine, particularly across some of the region’s most challenging road networks.

In Guinea and other parts of the sub-region, Olubo encountered deeply damaged roads, mud ruts and severe washouts. The unforgiving terrain took a heavy toll on the Spyder, resulting in damaged primary and parking brakes as well as broken lighting assemblies.

Despite the mechanical setbacks, the former squash star continued riding, relying on discipline, experience and determination to negotiate treacherous stretches of road.

The expedition has also exposed him to difficult experiences at some border crossings, including alleged extortion, arbitrary charges and equipment seizures. 

Olubo said transit points in countries including Mauritania and Guinea presented additional challenges, with fixers and officials making aggressive financial demands.

The unusual appearance of the Can-Am Spyder has also attracted enormous attention. In communities facing significant economic hardship, the sight of the machine has regularly drawn large crowds, sometimes turning routine activities such as refuelling and currency exchange into demanding and high-pressure situations.

Yet, beyond the adventure, Olubo's journey has brought another important issue into focus, the need for stronger emergency consular support for Nigerians abroad.

The Nigerian-American athlete said emergency distress calls placed to Nigerian diplomatic missions in some of the countries along his route went unanswered.

Reflecting on his experiences representing Nigeria on the international squash circuit during the 1980s, Olubo expressed concern that Nigerians in distress abroad could still struggle to receive timely assistance from their diplomatic missions.

“More than twenty-five years after travelling the world as a Nigerian athlete, that same wall of diplomatic silence remains,” Olubo said from the Ghana border.

He called on Nigeria’s foreign affairs authorities and diaspora agencies to establish functional, 24-hour emergency hotlines capable of responding to Nigerians facing detention, extortion or other crises abroad.

For Olubo, however, A Ride for Life is about much more than the thousands of kilometres covered.

Inspired by lived family experience with mental health challenges, he is using the expedition's visibility to encourage open conversations about mental illness and help dismantle the stigma that often prevents people from seeking help.

The journey also represents a remarkable endurance feat, with Olubo seeking recognition as the first documented solo adventurer to undertake an intercontinental expedition across North America, Europe and Africa aboard a three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder.

Having travelled through vastly different climatic zones and some of West Africa’s most difficult terrain, the expedition has pushed both rider and machine to their limits.

As Olubo prepares to reach Lagos on Wednesday, the conclusion of the journey will mark not merely the end of an ambitious road adventure but another chapter in his campaign to use sport, personal experience and endurance to promote mental health awareness.

A Ride for Life is ultimately a story of resilience and purpose, demonstrating how one former athlete's extraordinary journey can become a vehicle for conversations about mental health, social change and the protection of Nigerians travelling abroad.