The Nigerian Professor Who Drove a Brand-New Peugeot From London to Kano

When Professor Aminu Mohammed Dorayi bought a brand-new Peugeot 504 in Britain, he chose not to ship it to Nigeria. He drove it to Kano instead.

The journey took about 24 days and covered roughly 4,000 miles across Europe, North Africa and the Sahara Desert.

Dorayi was not attempting to win a race or set a recognised record, he simply wanted to drive his new car home.

The Boy Who Chose Chemistry Over Football

Dorayi was born in Kano on November 16, 1942, and attended Shahuci Primary School before continuing his education at Technical Secondary School, Kano.

Football was an important part of his early life, and he once had an opportunity to pursue the sport in England. A British chemistry teacher advised him to consider which path was more likely to provide a lasting career.

Dorayi chose science.

He entered Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1965 and later became president of the Students' Union Government for the 1966/67 academic session.

After graduating, he continued his studies at the University of Oregon in the United States. He earned a master's degree before completing a PhD in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry in January 1973.

Dorayi returned to Nigeria the following month and began teaching at Ahmadu Bello University. A few years later, he travelled back to Britain for postgraduate training in education.

It was during that second stint in Britain that he bought the Peugeot 504.

Preparing to Cross the Sahara

Dorayi had been interested in long-distance travel since reading about explorers such as Mungo Park and Ibn Battuta.

While studying in the United States, he bought a Volkswagen Beetle for about $600 and drove it across the Nevada Desert, an early taste of desert travel that stayed with him.

In Britain, he paid £1,000 for the Peugeot and began preparing to drive it to Nigeria.

Dorayi sought help from the British Automobile Association, which provided maps, route information and advice on crossing the desert. He also knew how to service cars, a skill he had developed during his technical education.

He travelled with Yahaya Nashi from Kaduna State, whom he described as a fellow adventurer.

From London to Kano

In Dorayi's account, they left Britain by ferry and entered France through Calais. They continued through Paris and Madrid before reaching Gibraltar.

Dorayi said they crossed the Mediterranean into Algeria and continued south towards Nigeria.

The most difficult part of the trip began in the Sahara, where some stretches had no established road, leaving them to navigate by little more than a map and a compass.

Dorayi's mechanical knowledge gave him some confidence that he could deal with basic problems if the Peugeot broke down. However, there was little help available across long stretches of the desert.

He later recalled arriving at a place in Algeria during heavy rainfall and seeing children running around and crying.

When he asked what was wrong, elders reportedly told him that some of the younger children had never seen rain. It's one of the clearest memories he has of the journey.

After about 24 days on the road, the Peugeot arrived in Kano.

More Than an Adventurer

The London-to-Kano drive became the most widely retold episode of Dorayi's life, but most of his career was spent in science, education and public service.

He taught chemistry, physics and mathematics and helped train science teachers. Among the students he said he taught were former President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Some profiles have also credited Dorayi with helping to develop the Sharada Industrial Estate and organising an early trade fair in Nigeria.

Dorayi later titled his autobiography The Adventurous Chemist.

Today, Dorayi is healthy and spends his time reading, thinking about his past and guiding his children, grandchildren and others.

The journey from London to Kano remains one of the most unusual chapters of that life: a new Peugeot, thousands of miles and a route across the Sahara to the city where he was born.