•Owolabi Salis (2nd left)
Nigerian-born lawyer and politician, Owolabi Salis, has etched his name in history as the first Nigerian to journey into space.
On Sunday, June 29, Salis joined five other passengers aboard Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which launched from West Texas, reports The Nation.
His fellow crew members were Allie Kuehner, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Jim Sitkin.
According to Space in Africa, the 10-minute suborbital flight carried the crew beyond the Kármán line, the internationally recognised boundary of space, achieving a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres.
Here are seven things to know about first Nigerian to travel to space, Owolabi Salis:
1. He was born in Ikorodu, Lagos.
2. Salis is a chartered accountant and an attorney with licences to practise in both Nigeria and the United States.
3. He is the author of Equitocracy, a book proposing a democratic system rooted in fairness and equity across diverse communities.
4. The lawyer is no stranger to adventure, as his previous expedition included becoming the first Black African to visit both the Arctic and Antarctic within the same season.
5. He ran for Lagos governorship at three different times.
6. He bought the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket in 2003 and 2007, ran under the Action Party of Nigeria in 2007 and was the Alliance for Democracy’s flag bearer in the 2019 elections.
7. Following the 2019 poll, he challenged the outcome in court, questioning Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s victory, but the tribunal ruled against him.
