By Kenneth Madaki
Nigeria’s Cycling Federation board member, Femi Thomas, has described the country’s outing at the seventh edition of the Tour D’Afrique as a success, saying the performance will strengthen Nigeria’s standing on the global cycling stage.
Thomas made the remarks as Team Nigeria arrived back in the country after completing the cross-border ex pedition at the ECOWAS Headquarters, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.
The 2026 edition, themed ‘Riding Against Climate Change: A 1,110km Journey with Zero CO₂ Emissions’, ran from June 12 to June 19, with 50 cyclists drawn from various states and clubs across Nigeria making up Team Nigeria.
The tour was flagged off in commemoration of World Bicycle Day and served as a platform to celebrate Nigeria’s Democracy Day, ECOWAS at 51 and the One Africa agenda, while demonstrating the viability of sustainable transport.
Thomas, a former athlete, said the experience was invaluable for all involved, particularly those participating for the first time.
“The seventh edition is another experience — you can never have enough. Different experience, different edition. It has been a very great opportunity to have been able to make such a journey again this year, having wonderful, awesome people with us.
“Multiple people participated from different states, different clubs and pros. For the first timers, it was their first time going into such a journey. They all faced the challenge, saw how it feels and likewise been able to survive it,” he said.
Thomas added that the tour directly supports three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, further underlining its significance beyond the sporting arena.
Team Nigeria’s participation was coordinated by FT Cycle Care in conjunction with the Cycling Federation of Nigeria and the Velo NG Community.
With the ECOWAS leg now successfully completed, stakeholders say the tour has further positioned Nigeria as a credible voice for climate action and regional integration through sport.