At 86 Nigerian explorer who defied death aims to return to Sahara Desert, highlight impact of climate change
With 400 miles behind me and perhaps 500 ahead, I felt stuck, unable to turn back or move forward. The journey in the desert shattered me into tiny bits, leaving me stranded with no way back and nowhere to run.
- 3 months ago
September 27, 2024
Dr. Jibunoh is the campaigner who risked his life to draw attention to encroachment and environmental issues in the Sahara Desert. | Photo courtesy of Dr. Newton Jibunoh
ASABA, Nigeria — As a child, I yearned to explore. Watching how innovations arise from humanity’s eagerness to push boundaries fascinates me. At 27 years old, I traveled 6,800 treacherous kilometers through the Sahara Desert, escaping death several times. Since then, I have taken the journey three more times, raising awareness of the encroaching desert. Now, at 86 years old, I long to explore the Sahara once again, perhaps for the last time.
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Man embarks on daring solo journey from London to Lagos
My childhood was filled with a passion for exploration. As I grew older, this passion only intensified. I became restless, knowing that Africa, especially Nigeria, needed to be part of the global movement to improve lives.
Driven to make a difference, I worked on diverse projects and developed them into noteworthy accomplishments. I wanted to be part of the exploration era as an astronaut, but since I did not achieve the required grades, I pursued a degree in engineering instead. This setback pained me deeply. Unable to join space and moon travel, I focused on a career closer to home—exploring the Sahara.
Although I could not reach the stars, galaxies, or moon, I embarked on a journey from London through the Sahara to Nigeria. I traveled through many countries, sailed the Mediterranean, and connected with people from diverse backgrounds. As a result, I believe I experienced more than the space explorers I once admired.
After completing my studies in London, I felt an intense need to satisfy my scientific curiosity and contribute to the exploration era. After extensive research, I chose my challenge. On December 27, 1965, I set out on my first solo trip from London to Lagos, Nigeria. I kept my plans secret to avoid discouragement until I reached the point of no return. When my friends in London finally learned of my decision, they tried to stop me, warning, “That’s not a good way to die.”
That cold winter night remains vivid in my memory. To bid me farewell, my friends gathered and gifted me a book by Sir Francis Chichester, who rowed across the Atlantic from the United Kingdom to America. They wrote personal messages inside. At first, fear gripped me, and I refused to open it. When I finally summoned the courage, I broke down, tears flowing as their words sank in. Despite my emotions, I never considered turning back. As an unmarried man, I refused to hesitate.
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From U.K. to Sahara: explorer faces extreme challenges and risks his life
Spending six months preparing, I focused on mapping, documentation, insurance, food supplies, and equipment, since I had no GPS to guide me. Amid the uncertainty, I needed to purify myself for Holy Communion. To prepare for the trials ahead, I fasted, reduced my drinking, and gave up many pleasures. Weeks before the journey, I isolated myself and mentally prepared for both life and death. During the 1960s, many explorers never returned. I knew the risks, as nearly 50 percent of explorers lost their lives, but I accepted the challenge. As a gift to myself, I committed to trying the impossible.
After leaving my friends, I drove into the dark, crossing the channels from the UK to France, then Belgium, Holland, and Germany. To carry concealed ammunition undetectable by security agencies, I went to Switzerland. From there, I returned to Germany before driving to Spain. From Spain, I finally crossed the Mediterranean to Morocco. At last, Africa felt a little closer to home, which brought me deep comfort.
In Morocco, I drove through the Atlas Mountains. I continued into the Sahara and tackled the challenging terrain, which turned my journey into an unforgettable experience.
Unfortunately, in Morrocco, authorities detained me for six days because they forbade crossing the Sahara alone. Eventually, I signed a death warrant, acknowledging that despite authorities’ warnings, I chose to continue on my own. Later, I published that warrant in my first book.
Describing the events I encountered in the Sahara often eludes me. I faced death multiple times. At one point, I nearly gave up, feeling physically, mentally, and psychologically exhausted. With 400 miles behind me and perhaps 500 ahead, I felt stuck, unable to turn back or move forward. The journey in the desert shattered me into tiny bits, leaving me stranded with no way back and nowhere to run.
Explorer’s harrowing journey in the Sahara reveals the grim reality of desertification
Believing my end was near, I accepted what people often say about adventurers like me. In such moments, there is a razor-thin line between sanity and insanity. The endurance pushed me to the limit, and I found myself writing my obituary. What I went through far surpassed anything I could ever imagine. Even as I recount it now, the emotions surge back, just as intense as they were in the Sahara.
On that journey, I witnessed the desert shifting and directly observed the devastating consequences of its movement, now known as desertification. I realized that if we did not take action to slow or stop this relentless movement, the consequences would be catastrophic. The effects would extend beyond the people moving across the land, endangering the animal herds and the entire region’s biodiversity. As I watched water bodies like Lake Chad dry up, I realized that steps must be taken to prevent these tragedies.
Now, much of the beauty I once saw fades into history, causing wars and the rise of Boko Haram [an Islamist jihadist organization based in northeastern Nigeria]. The situation left millions homeless and without work. The Fulani, the nomadic people of the North who once roamed freely, are forced into urbanization, a way of life that does not suit them.
With these changes, conflicts become inevitable, soon escalating into wars. Four decades ago, I foresaw these issues and campaigned tirelessly against them. Sadly, the adaptation strategies are failing. To help those living in desert regions, we must immediately implement new approaches.
Amidst the vast desert, the scattered human skeletons haunted me. Some were freshly deceased, others long gone, showing that many walked this path before me but never made it. This confirmed what the embassies informed me about when I applied for my visa: those who came before me did not return. They warned me about the risks and the likelihood of death on this journey, but I pressed on regardless.
Hundreds of African migrants thrown into the sea amid raid fears
On my second expedition, traveling from Africa to London, I crossed the Mediterranean on a 12-hour journey from Morocco to Alicante, Spain. I paid for a cabin on the boat but ended up sharing it with a smoker. Given my smoke allergy, I could not tolerate it any longer. So, I decided to go up to the deck for fresh air and to reflect on my regrets about booking that particular cabin.
On the deck, I saw many Africans, mostly Nigerians, speaking Igbo, Yoruba, and other languages. I interacted with these men, women, and children and enjoyed our conversations. Meanwhile, I hoped my cabin mate would be asleep when I returned. After some time, a security officer approached me and asked to see my documents. Quickly, I showed him my passport, insurance, and car papers. Then, he aggressively ordered me to return to my cabin immediately, leaving me no choice but to comply.
Fortunately, my cabin mate was already snoring, so I decided to find some sleep. About an hour before we anchored the boat, they announced that those with cars could start moving to their vehicles. To bid farewell to the people I interacted with earlier, I returned to the deck, but I did not find anyone. Feeling shocked, I wondered where they disappeared to.
Lost in thought, I saw the security manager and asked him, “What happened to all those people?” He responded, “Didn’t I tell you to return to your cabin?” Later, I discovered that they received information that authorities planned to raid the boat, suspecting it was carrying mostly illegal migrants. As a result, authorities onboard pushed all the illegal migrants into the sea. I froze, unable to move for a few minutes.
Finally, I gathered the courage to head to my car. Feeling something inside me die, I parked the car by the side of the road and stayed there for a long time, crying. I wept, “How could sharks and fish devour so many human beings in the night?” It was a tragic moment for Africa, and a sad fate for those people.
Surviving near-death: explorer achieves the impossible and aims to return
Every day, I consider how I might have become shark food if I did not keep my documents with me, even while I slept. The security office probably would have prevented me from returning to my family. I escaped death multiple times, but witnessing hundreds of people vanish, knowing they were pushed overboard, felt devastating. When I returned home six months after setting out, I felt a sense of relief.
When you embark on an exploration, the end game becomes crucial because it becomes a part of your life. I could not believe I fulfilled a dream I long envisioned. Did I truly accomplish something close to impossible? Would my name now be engraved among the world’s explorers? Did I do it? Constantly, these thoughts occupied my mind.
Reflecting on everything, especially the near-death situations, left me emotional. It took quite some time to feel like a human again. I kept reminding myself, I could have died. Why did not I die? I could not sleep, eat well, or even drink water properly. Revisiting the experiences, I wondered how I survived those near-death situations. It took time to overcome those haunting thoughts. Yet, I wanted to go back.
In my book, I wrote that the desert kept beckoning me to do something. People do not undertake such expeditions without attaching them to something the world or communities can acknowledge and say, “Yes, he went through it. He saw it all.” I could not celebrate the expedition as I wanted to because thoughts of the desert people occupied my mind. Sometimes in my sleep, I encountered the movement of the dunes. I dreamed of them and suffered from nightmares for months. However, the idea to return persisted. I needed to go back and experience it again to be sure that I did it.
Explorer returns alone to the desert after 37 years
In 2000, I began my next expedition. This time, I saw significant improvements in everything. Instead of relying on a compass, I utilized GPS technology. I also upgraded from a smaller car to a Jeep. Many aspects got better. By then, I had married and started a family. I explained the mission’s importance to my kids, emphasizing that without it, my earlier expedition would have been in vain. I reassured them emotionally, although one of my kids rejected my mission. Still, they were fully aware of my determination to proceed.
For this expedition, the press, including NTA, BBC, and CNN, covered the event, unlike before. The increased publicity suited me because I aimed to raise awareness about desertification, making it a major topic like the rainforest coverage at COP negotiations. Unlike the Amazon rainforest, which helps mitigate climate change, the desert could exacerbate global warming. Consequently, I succeeded in making desertification a significant issue, which led to the creation of the convention to combat it.
Surprisingly, I was invited to speak in Bonn, Germany, where my campaign garnered significant global attention. In London, the Nigerian High Commission hosted me. I felt overwhelmed when I received international green awards in the USA and earned the title “Conqueror of the Desert” from the British Museum. I also received numerous awards from Nigeria, including the Nigerian National Merit Award. The Netherlands and Spain recognized me as well. Undoubtedly, I am grateful for the recognition I received for this exploration.
At 86, man plans to drive from Asaba to London
Today, at 86 years old, I plan to drive from Asaba back to London. However, the Foreign Affairs office, which supported my second and third expeditions by granting diplomatic immunity and organizing press conferences in major cities worldwide, opposed my fourth expedition.
They deemed it too dangerous due to the deteriorating security situation at several African borders, including issues between Morocco and Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mali, and Chad and Libya. Given these crises and my status as a national hero, they consider the risks too high. Now, I am retired to my resort and park, the Nelson Mandela Gardens in Asaba. These gardens were built in memory of Nelson Mandela and supported by the Mandela Foundation.
I see it as a way to reduce our impact, hoping to transform it into a major mitigation body in Nigeria. My slogan, which I carry everywhere, is that we should leave the planet Earth better than we found it. As the only known planet with life, Earth has given us so much, but we have given back very little. This imbalance deeply concerns me.
If people embraced my message and followed my teachings, we could prevent catastrophic incidents due to climate change. We witness bushfires in unexpected places, hurricanes and tornadoes, earthquakes, and even dormant volcanoes becoming active. The planet is reacting, signaling that we took too much and gave back too little. My message to everyone is to find ways to protect our planet, the only one we know.
The Sahara remains the largest and still active desert in the world. While others are taming most deserts, the Sahara continues to expand. If we do not act to control it, very little of the continent will remain habitable. We must consider how we can give back to the Earth, from which we take water, food, and oxygen. Until we address this imbalance, the climate catastrophe will persist, and one day we may awaken to find that we need to relocate. The pressing question will be, “Where?”
