The rapidly growing musician Ebaide Joy has joined the Nigerians who go alone from other nations to Lagos State. Ebaide now stands with Pelumi Nubi and Kunle Adeyanju, among others.
Ms. Nubi, a UK resident, drove alone from London to Lagos in January, joining Mr. Adeyanju, a professional rider who had already made a comparable journey on a motorcycle.
The purpose of Mr. Adeyanju’s trip was to collect money for Nigeria’s polio eradication. Ms. Nubi is currently traveling (in a car) to prove that even seemingly insurmountable ambitions can be accomplished.
The vocalist, also known by her stage name, Ebaide, is well-known for the songs JAPA, Carry Go, and Different. She departed Mombasa, Kenya, on March 11 to begin her vacation (along with a motorcycle).
Motivated by a personal experience in which God granted her a second start at life after a transformative event in her twenties, the singer is unafraid of obstacles and doubters.
She said: “Since childhood, life has thrown me a lot of rubbish. I have taken everything, thinking life would improve, but I realized it wouldn’t until I improved myself. When I was 23 years old, I was involved in a car accident that’ll forever change my life. Two people beside me died, but I survived and landed in a wheelchair for several months until I did surgery using titanium screws and rods holding my spinal cord in place.
“I spent months thinking I won’t walk again. I was just 23, so after the surgery, I was able to walk. My life changed. I became active, free, and energetic. I just wanted to see and explore the world because I’m supposed not to be here. I’m supposed to be in a wheelchair or dead.”
Ebaide maintained that events and circumstances never define her life and claimed on her YouTube page on Tuesday that she had pledged to live happily and freely if she returned her legs.
The artist, who relocated to Kenya in 2021, shared that her newfound optimism had given her the desire to accomplish the unthinkable.
“This is not where I should be. At the age of 23, I was given another opportunity at life,” Ebaide remarked.
She said that she committed her life to living freely after receiving surgery to restore function to her limbs, displaying what appeared to be bravery.
Ebaide stated that in July 2023, she purchased a motorcycle named Rory to get ready for her trip. She called the planning phase of the trip difficult, especially since one of the nations she would be traveling through is South Sudan.
“Although the conditions to enter that nation are excessive, as I mentioned, it’s only my infant daughter and I versus the entire globe. I have complete faith in her (Rory). I mean, for the next few months, it’s just Rory and me against the world. This adventure is rich and exciting at every turn.”
It is only fitting that I travel to several regions of the world with her, as we begin our riding adventure together. I’m confident in her.”
Ebaide said she spent time learning how to ride the motorcycle (Rory) so she wouldn’t get any bumps on it because she wanted to use it to explore the world.
She went on to say that even though the motorcycle fell on her as she was getting ready, it didn’t lessen her happiness.
Ebaide clarified that the first leg was the trip from Kenya to Lagos and that the second leg would start in Nigeria and end in Morocco.
The singer stated that her spinal cord is held in place by titanium screws and rods, but she does not let that stop her from living life to the fullest.
The Journey
Ebaide left Mombasa and will make her way across Uganda, South Sudan, and ultimately the border of the Central African Republic. She intends to proceed from there via Cameroon to Nigeria, passing through Calabar, Cross River State, to reach Lagos.
According to her, she finds the journey exciting because of the absence of other motorcycle riders on the road and the dearth of videos to control her expectations. She announced on February 8th, on her Instagram page, that she would take the Trans-African Highway, an overland highway that connects African nations. The highway starts in Cairo, Egypt, and travels via Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, to name just a few of the at least eighteen nations it will cross.
“I’m not sure what to anticipate. How incredibly exciting is that? I know that the word “excitement” is too modest to describe how I really feel because I have experienced a lot of fascinating things in my life. I feel incredibly happy and afraid at the same time,” she continued.
The overland explorer called the trip the largest excursion of her life. “Sometime last year, right before I bought my motorcycle, this crazy thought crossed my mind.
“I had been riding on a tricycle for ten weeks, enjoying life on the road. I came to appreciate how much I loved living the nomadic lifestyle on that trip,” she said.
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