How we turned a 10-day visa into a 36-year stay in Nigeria – American couple reveals

Liza Gadsby and Peter Jenkins, American tourists, have resided in Nigeria for over 36 years, initially arriving with a 10-day travel visa.

The couple shared their experiences in a YouTube video, highlighting the unexpected nature of their journey.

After arriving in Nigeria with a 10-day travel visa, American tourists Liza Gadsby and Peter Jenkins ended up staying for over 36 years.

They shared their unique experience in a YouTube video, detailing how their brief trip evolved into a lifelong mission focused on wildlife conservation and community involvement.

They were particularly touched by the kindness of the people and the local living conditions.

“I’ll tell you what I like about Nigerians,” Gadsby said. “They would say, ‘hey! Oyinbo, come in na, sit down, make we talk. Make I buy you drink.’ That is the difference between Nigeria and others”

The couple’s passion for wildlife led them to establish a nonprofit organization called Pandrillus, dedicated to conserving drill monkeys in Calabar, Cross River State.

Gadsby emphasized the importance of all species, stating, “I don’t think that one species is more important than another. The drill is a scarce species, one of the rarest animals in Africa.”

Gadsby explained their choice of Calabar, noting that aside from Cameroon, it was a prime location for monkey drills. “No scientist or tourist had discovered that those animals were living there until 1987 ,” he said.