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Nigerian motorcyclist Captain Olatunji Emmanuel Okedeyi has warned that many people still view polio vaccination as taboo, even as the disease remains a threat in some parts of the world.
Speaking to News Central on Monday after completing a solo ride from London to Lagos across 14 countries, Okedeyi said misconceptions about vaccination continue to put children at risk.
“A lot of people still think it’s a taboo for people to have a vaccination. But if those children do not have those vaccinations, it’s difficult for them to achieve their potential,” Okedeyi said.
“If I’ve got polio, will I be able to do this ride? No,” he added.
The motorcyclist, who covered 12,200 kilometres in 25 days, said his campaign was inspired by his childhood in Iruwa District Hospital, where his father worked as an ambulance driver and campaigned against polio in local communities.
“I grew up, I saw where people’s children’s hands were amputated. I saw children died on different occasions. But that stuck with me,” he said.
.@EmmaRidesPolio says growing up in a hospital as a child inspired him to raise awareness about polio and the importance of vaccination.
Watch 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/5QNGu4cvFR
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) July 13, 2026
A member of Rotary International, Okedeyi said the ride was his personal contribution to raising awareness about polio eradication.
He expressed surprise at the lack of awareness about the disease in Western countries.
“A lot of people I met during the journey, especially in the West, people don’t even know that polio exists. A lot of people don’t know there’s polio,” he said.
He warned that as long as the virus remains in Afghanistan and Pakistan, no country is safe.
“Until that polio is eradicated in those area, we all of us are not free because it’s a global world. People travel from those countries, it’s a war zone as well. People migrate from there, they can come to Nigeria,” he said.
Okedeyi also noted that Togo recorded three polio incidents last year, underscoring the need for continued vigilance across the region.
“When I was in Togo, they told me they had three incidents last year in Togo that they have to really work hard with the government of Togo to make sure they quickly nab the incident on the board,” he said.
Nigeria was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation in 2020. Polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, though sporadic cases have been reported in other countries.
