After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in June last year, Remi Abere who resides in Magodo Phase 2, Lagos, went back in December with some influential Nigerian women, including the Ogun State First Lady, Olufunso Amosun.
For the second climb, the 50-yearold mother of five wanted to attract the attention of the public to the plight of internally displaced persons in the northern part of the country.
Speaking with our correspondent, Abere said she was motivated by Joshua Awesome after sharing his experience of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro five years ago.
She said, “Awesome made it look so extraordinary and from that moment it was one of those things on my bucket list. I loved the challenge and adventure.
“Some people, including my sister who lives in Badby, Northamptonshire, England, said I could not make it. She told me that some of her friends who attempted it did not get to the summit. When she said I couldn’t make it, I was determined to prove her wrong”.
At some point, she admitted that she thought of turning back during the adventure, as she had to gasp for breath.
“My tour guides, Arnold Molay and Goodluck Essau, were very supportive. Even when I felt I was going to collapse, they told me I was already there,” Abere said.
When she eventually got to the summit of Kilimanjaro, she said that she felt a great sense of accomplishment and joy. She almost quickly for got that she was weak and exhausted.
“When I got back to the camp, I couldn’t believe I did it. I have done some pretty hard things in life, but this was one of the hardest. The two men who climbed with me also admitted that it was one of the hardest things they’ve ever done. When I told them I was going back the second time, they thought I was crazy,” Abere said.
Though her husband at first questioned why she wanted to put herself through such a pain, he was openminded about the adventure.
But her mother, she stated, had sleepless nights until she returned safely from the trip.
Abere didn’t tell anyone when she came back from Mount Kilimanjaro. She felt it was nothing until one of her daughters shared her picture on Facebook and a colleague in the office saw it.
“My colleague spread the news in the office and everyone thought I did something great. I could not verify if I was the first Nigerian woman to get to the top, but I am pretty sure I am the oldest”.
Tagged “Climb with Remi”, she made a return to Kilimanjaro with other Nigerian women on November 29, 2015 and embarked on the adventure early December.
Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora Affairs, Abike Dabiri- Erewa, was supposed to be part of it, but other things came up. Other women who took the risk of climbing Kilimanjaro with her were Olufunsho Amosun, Joke Olanipekun, Uzo Nwani and Debo Laditan.
“The amazing thing is that each person that saw the video of my first visit wanted to go. Dabiri-Erewa took one look at the video and said count me in. The same applies to Amosun, who insisted that she was also a mother of five like me. I didn’t do much to convince people,” she said.
According to the Ekiti State indigene, after stumbling on a videotape of internally displaced persons in Yola, she was moved by the plight of the women and children.
Since the insurgency in the North didn’t really affect people in the South, Abere felt Nigerians had forgotten about the victims.
“My 50th birthday was around the corner, too. So, I felt I should climb Kilimanjaro again with other women. For me, there was no better awareness than having six middle-aged women climbing the mountain to bring the attention of the public to the plight of these women and children who were sent packing from their homes.
“I have always wanted to give back to Nigeria. I am privileged; I don’t wake up in the morning and start thinking of where my next meal will come from. I have five lovely children who are doing well. My four girls are in their 20s and my son is 14 years old. I am healthy and married for over 27 years. I have a great job, great friends and family around me. But there are certain things in life we are fortunate to have only by the grace of God”.
With a Jamaican mother and Nigerian father, Abere maintained that she was just interested in doing things to help the society.
