A Nigerian adventurer, Ileri Babalobi, is gearing up for an extraordinary journey to break the Guinness World Record by visiting all 54 African countries without relying on air travel.
This ambitious endeavor not only aims to make him the first African to achieve such a feat but also sets the stage for two Guinness World Records.
Babalobi plans to traverse 48 countries via public transport and reach the remaining 6 island nations by sea. His unique approach includes capturing a photograph with the Nigerian flag at each country's border.
Scheduled to commence from Lagos on March 6, his day-to-day adventures will be documented on YouTube. The goal is to complete the journey within 9 months, dedicating 3 or 4 days in each country to explore tourist sites and immerse in the local culture.
In his own words;
“I have always wanted to visit all African countries, a dream stretching back over ten years ago. I had already taken steps towards that, by visiting more than a dozen of them on my own.
“When Hilda Baci broke her world record in May 2023, I began to see that I could do it in a way that would raise money for charity, and also draw attention to important causes, while also showing the world how African cultures look like.
I choose to go by road or sea firstly because it’s cheaper that way and also because you get to see more of the environment or scenery and interact more with people”.
Throughout his journey, Babalobi will advocate for the Borderless Africa campaign led by the NGO Africans Rising, concurrently raising funds for the Nigerian Red Cross.
“It’s a pity that Africans have to pay expensive visa fees to visit most other African countries. I look forward to a future where most of the barriers to migration for Africans within Africa are removed,“ Ileri Babalobi hinted at his challenges.
Originally from Enugu State, Babalobi spent his formative years in Northern Nigeria before relocating to Ibadan during childhood.
Having already explored all 36 states of Nigeria, all 16 regions of Ghana, and over a dozen other African countries, Babalobi's travel journey commenced shortly after winning one million naira on the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” driven by a curiosity to experience diverse cultures.
