Obobo Speaks on Rejecting N40m For Bike He Rode  To Mecca

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The man from Nasarawa State who rode a bicycle from Jos, Plateau State to Saudi Arabia from February 2021 to December 2022, Aliyu Abdullahi Obobo said he has no regret for turning down the 200,000 Riyal in Saudi Arabia.

Obobo said he wants his home country to house the bicycle as a national monument for reference in history because of his love for Nigeria.

According to the cyclist, he kept the bicycle so it could be handed over to the winner of the February 2023 Nigerian Presidential election for onward deposit in the museum

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday in Jos,  Obobo said an Egyptian pilgrim in Saudi Arabia offered him 200,000 Riyal (Over N40 million) at Makarem Ajyad Makkah Hotel for the bicycle but he rejected it.

He said his going for the pilgrimage was for spiritual fulfilment and not for monetary gains.

“I will be embarking on foot from Jos to Lagos to commence the process of handing over the motorcycle to the Nigerian government for onward keep in the museum,” he said.

Explaining why he embarked on the journey from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia by bicycle, Obobo said, “It is out of my love for the Islamic faith, the Holy Prophet, Mohammed and my desire to perform the pilgrimage in my lifetime, but that I could not afford the fare and other expenses involved.”