People say (perhaps as a joke) that the Nigerian dream is to leave Nigeria, and I can’t entirely disagree. But my dreams were a lot bigger. 

In 2019, as a postgraduate architecture student clutching my first-ever passport, I made myself a promise: visit up to 16 countries every year. Then COVID-19 locked down the world, suspending my dreams along with everyone else’s. But as restrictions were lifted, my determination only grew stronger. Now, having visited more than 30 countries and founded my own travel agency, my dreams are bigger and my chutzpah is stronger than ever.

On March 19th, I’ll begin a journey to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to visit all seven continents. It is the most ‘do it afraid’ thing I’ve done in my life, I confess. 

While arranging the 10 hard-won visas I’ve secured for this attempt, it’s difficult to look past the stack of visa rejection letters I’ve also piled up. They’re a silent testimony to what travellers with Nigerian passports endure just to cross borders. And ironically, they’re the actual fuel behind my drive.

If I succeed in beating the current 64-hour record set by American veteran Johnny Cruz Buckingham this February, I’ll become the first Black solo traveller and the youngest person at 26 to hold this record.

The plan is to ensure that the conversation about passport inequality is started. The Nigerian passport ties for 88th place with Ethiopia and Myanmar on the 2025 Henley Passport Index, granting access to just 46 countries without advance visas—compared to the 193 countries Japanese passport holders can freely enter.

A Last-Minute Challenge

The clock is already against me. For months, I had been preparing to break the 2023 record of 73 hours. Then, just last Thursday evening, I discovered that Buckingham had been certified as the new record holder at 64 hours. Most people would have postponed, but I posted on X the next morning: “Am I crazy enough to challenge a US Air Force veteran to break a mission-planning record with barely a week to plan? YES.”

This is the reality for travellers like me—we must constantly adapt to shifting goalposts while privileged passport holders simply book their journeys and go.

The Humiliation at Borders

The visas only tell half the story. Nigerian travellers routinely face additional scrutiny regardless of our documentation. In September 2023, Egyptian officials kept me from proceeding to Jordan and Qatar for an hour, claiming an airline policy required me to show a return ticket specifically to Nigeria—despite my having onward bookings.

I’m sure many Nigerians have heard officials say “It’s the policy.” When they say this, they expect that you just keep quiet. Yet, this “policy” was the reason my checked luggage was mysteriously sent to another city and never recovered. In two minutes, the matter was resolved automatically when I said they had to show me where that policy was.

My case wasn’t an isolated incident. Fellow Nigerians are routinely pulled out of immigration queues or denied boarding for mundane reasons at border controls in Europe, North America, and even within Africa itself. Each humiliating interaction reinforces the message that some travellers are presumed legitimate while others must repeatedly prove their intentions.

But I’m no stranger to limitations. My journey to becoming one of Nigeria’s most recognized travel content creators began humbly with an iPhone 7 and a determination to share travel experiences from a Nigerian perspective. 

During the pandemic lockdown, I pivoted from travel photography to knowledge sharing, watching my Instagram following grow from 2,400 to 6,000 in those months of isolation. This is why I remind myself daily that my dreams will not be limited by the colour of my skin or the colour of my passport. It is, in fact, what made me start Kaijego, a travel agency specifically designed to help those with “weak” passports navigate international mobility barriers.

Antarctica to Australia: The 64-Hour Dash

The Guinness World Record attempt has specific rules: I must physically step foot on all seven continents, briefly leaving airports to document my presence at recognisable landmarks. My journey will begin in Antarctica—where I’m looking forward to seeing penguins—before racing through six more continents to end in Australia.

I’m starting at the most unpredictable point, which makes the most sense because it’s when the wheels take off that the timer starts. It’s up to me, the weather, God, and so many different things. I just have to take one step at a time and ensure that I’m going at maximum speed, obeying all the rules, and staying on track until I get to Australia.

According to Guinness World Records rules, I cannot use private or chartered transport—a requirement that introduces significant uncertainty. Each connection has been calculated down to the minute, with backup plans for potential disruptions.

A Growing Movement

I’m not alone in my quest to redefine what Africans can achieve on the global stage. Since 2023, there have been more than 7,000 Guinness World Record applications from West Africa’s 16 countries. We are a new generation passionately embracing record-breaking as a form of self-expression and global validation. 

Fellow Nigerians have also rallied to my cause. The support fuels my determination—as does the opportunity to break a second record. Upon my return to Lagos, I plan to achieve the most signatures on a piece of travel memorabilia by asking thousands to sign a Nigerian flag I’ll carry throughout my journey.

Building New Pathways

I hope to, through this attempt, give many more Nigerians the chance to take their first flights.  When people ask why I put myself through the stress of visa applications and rejections, my answer is simple: because borders shouldn’t determine human potential. The Nigerian passport ranks near the bottom of global mobility indexes, but Nigerian dreams, ambitions, and contributions to the world deserve no such ranking. Followers can track my journey in real-time with the hashtag #AlmaChasingContinents across my social media platforms, where I’ll document each continent crossing.

Whether I break the record or not, I’ll have forced a conversation about one of the world’s most normalised forms of discrimination. In a world increasingly defined by mobility, the accident of birth that determines your passport shouldn’t dictate your access to opportunity, education, or experience.

As I embark on this journey today, I pack not just for myself, but for millions of other restricted-mobility passport holders who deserve to be seen not as threats to be scrutinized but as travellers to be welcomed. Every border I cross will represent a barrier overcome—not just for me, but for all those who share my passport colour.

* Ms Asinobi, a travel influencer, is on an ambitious quest to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to visit all seven continents