A Trek For Charity - The Article from The National Mirror

A Trek For Charity By Funmi Johnson

Adeyinka James Shorungbe is not the type of person who treks long distance. But for charity the bank manager did 175 kilometres of trekking in six days.

For the family of Adeyinka James Shorungbe, 3 December through 8 will always be very remarkable. The dates signify when Adeyinka James Shorungbe embarked and completed a six-day journey on foot from one end of Lagos State to the other (Seme boarder in Badagry to Epe, the Ogun State boarder).

Indeed, Adeyinka James Shorungbe can aptly be described as a rare person with even a rarer passion to must have thought of making such a sacrifice in the name of charity.

A bank manager in a reputable bank, Shorungbe is always with the thought of putting smiles on the faces of the inmates of the Red Cross International motherless Children home in Makoko area for the Christmas. While speaking with Saturday Mirror at the Ogun state boarder last week, Shorungbe disclosed that he always engaged in overall fitness sports and it is something he enjoys doing.

More after the break...

“I enjoy walking long distances. I love walking for fun, endurance and overall fitness.

I quite enjoy it as I find myself being challenged to surpass myself at each time I walk” enthused Shorungbe. According to Shorungbe who embarked on a 175 km walk across Lagos, he has always been very passionate about children and would love to do all in his power to care for them.

“Since I love to walk for fitness, while discussing with some of my friends, they suggested that I could actually do it for charity and that lingered in my heart and right there and then, I agreed to it and that The shoe that did the job was how I came up with the plan” he added.

To show the level of preparedness that Shorungbe made for this long walk, he disclosed to Saturday Mirror that the plan for this 175 km walk took him about a month and a half. “For weeks before commencing on this journey, I practised for it. I also shopped for a pair of trekking shoes for the journey.

I bought a power bank which was really helpful for me during the day to charge my phones and gadget so my phones would not run out of power because I also have a tracker installed on it for people to be able to locate me on the Google map tracker which is also linked to my online accounts and twitter” He further explained that he had also planned the number of kilometres he would be trekking on a daily basis to enable him have an idea of where he would be at a particular time.

“Before embarking on the journey, I had taken a tour to these places to know the routes I will take and how and where to lodge when evening falls. That was how I was able to know that if I could walk an average of 30 km a day, I would be able to complete the journey in six days. It was an interesting and challenging exercise” recalled Shorungbe.

On his experiences during the long walk, Shorungbe recalled that it was really an interesting thing to actually walk through some of those places he has been opportune to drive through only at nights. For me it is another experience entirely.

The Victoria Island to Epe axis is a familiar terrain but the Seme boarder end all the way to CMS is not particularly a familiar one especially on foot. Since the construction work on the Badagry express way started, I have only driven through those places at nights and to actually walk through it during the day, was another experience entirely.

It was quite an interesting journey with challenges too. I remember about two occasions that I had to ease myself in the bush when I got pressed on the way. I also had to eat in a buka somewhere at the Badagry end” On some sights he could consider to be remarkable, Shorungbe recalled that he had quite a few of such sights.

“Somewhere around Badagry was one shrine of something dedicated to a forefather and the bridge by Badagry and also the construction work going on, on the Badagry road. I had never seen it during the day, I only drove past there once at night, I had only been seeing it in the papers but I actually saw it life during the day and I actually walked through it, it was really interesting and remarkable”

On how much he was able to realise on this journey, Shorungbe noted that he has been able to realize both cash and pledges of about N180, 000. “I have been able to realize about N180, 000 both in cash and pledges.

As soon as I have redeemed all the pledges, I would get the cheque ready for the orphanage home” he said. Thinking back on what the journey might have caused him monetary wise, Shorungbe responded: “Do you know I have not even thought of how much I have spent on this project monetarily? This is so because I was really excited to get on with it and achieve my goal and I thank God that I was able to see this project through to this final stage and I hope to do more in future.

And for the encouragement of my friend and colleagues like Chinedu, an old friend who came to join me on the last day and walked 10 km with me and Ebele who also walked 22kms with me, it is indeed very encouraging to find some people who believe in you and what you want to do. They made the final stage of the journey more fun for me” Indeed apart from having a good heart, Shorungbe musty also have been blessed with a good family.

While speaking with his mother Mrs. Luccinder Rokosu, she noted that from childhood, Shorungbe had always taken a great loving to children in particular and would do anything for them to be happy.

“I have always known my son to be very loving and caring especially towards children. He also likes to do all manner of sports and long walks.

The day his wife told me he walked from his office in Bonny Camp in Victoria Island to his house in Lekki after Chevron, I was shocked. Even when he wanted to start on this journey, he did not tell me at the initial stage until Sunday when he took off. He called me and at that time, there was nothing I could do because he is a strong willed person that would do whatever he has decided to do come what may. All I could do was to pray for him.

On how she felt the first few days, Rokosu recalled; “I couldn’t sleep for the first two days especially the days he spent at the Badagry end. I only started having respite when he got to Festac; at least that is closer home” Ronke Shorungbe, the wife of the Lagos trekker also noted that her husband has a rare passion for children and sports. When he told me of this project, I was really crossed because my major fear was the issue of security.

He told me that he would not be walking at night but will close every day’s trekking by 6pm and start from wherever he stops the following day. It was quite a strange one on me but knowing my husband well, he would do whatever he determines to do, he’s unstoppable.

I thank God for the grace granted him to complete this journey so far” While speaking with Ebele Ofulue, a colleague of his who joined him on the last day and walked 22 kilometres with him said this of Shorungbe. “He is a kind of person that would do whatever he says he will do.

He told me about this project about last year and that is to show you that he is one who keeps at whatever he wants to do. I took up much running slightly over a year ago and I met others who love to run and I have done a few races locally and internationally and when Yinka told me about this project he was going to do for charity, I was excited about it and wanted to join him but because of work I couldn’t join him all the while until this final day and I am happy I was able to do 22 kilometres with him. I am happy to be here” On his future project, Shorungbe said he has intentions to do other projects like this in future.

“I am looking at a walk from Lagos to Togo for the future. I am still thinking about it and I also hope to become a centurion one day when I will be able to do 100 kilometres a day. This journey so far has helped me burn over 12, 000 calories and I am happy” noted Shorungbe.

Culled from the National Mirror - A Trek for Charity