Sports

Sports Remains Biggest National Unifier, As Sports Minister Celebrates Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary

Published

3 years ago

October 1, 2023

…Says Nigeria has reasons to celebrate our achievements in sports since 1960”

The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh joins all Nigerians to celebrate our dear Nation’s 63rd Independence Anniversary.

Senator Enoh stated that since 1960, Nigeria has made its mark amongst the comity of nations in the world of sports, with thousands of historic moments to note.

The Minister said, “On this notable day of our Independence Anniversary, we cannot but reflect on how sports has been the biggest unifier of our country, as we think about the innumerable historic moments of our heroes past, they provoke nostalgic memories of our greatness.”

While this list is not close to being exhaustive, find below some historic sporting achievements Nigeria and Nigerians have recorded since 1960.

1. NIGERIA WINS ITS FIRST OLYMPIC MEDAL

In 1964, Nigeria proudly won its first Olympic Games medal, through the gloves of Light Middleweight boxer, Nojeem Maiyegun at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics.

2. MOST SUCCESSFUL NATION AT THE FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP

Nigeria is the most successful nation in the history of the U-17 FIFA World Cup. The Golden Eaglets have won the championship a record 5 times. In 1985, 1993, 2007 2013, and 2015, Nigeria emerged as world champions.

3. ATLANTA ’96 FOOTBALL GOLD MEDAL

At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, Nigeria became the first African country to win a gold medal in the football event of the Olympics. Not only did we win the gold medal, we defeated some of the best nations in the world, on our way to the historic feat.

4. D’TIGERS WINS FIRST-EVER FIBA AFROBASKET TITLE

In 2015, Nigeria’s Senior Men’s Basketball team lifted the FIBA AfroBasket to emerge champions of Africa for the first time in history.

5. NIGERIA’S WELLINGTON JIGHERE EMERGES WORLD SCRABBLE CHAMPION

In 2015, Nigeria’s Wellington Jighere was crowned World Scrabble Champion, after winning the World Scrabble Championship in his third attempt. He became the first African to occupy the title.

6. NIGERIA’S CHIOMA AJUNWA WINS THE LONG JUMP GOLD MEDAL AT THE 1996 OLYMPICS

Chioma Ajunwa made Nigeria proud as she became the first African woman to win a gold medal in a field event at the Olympics.

7. RICHARD DICK TIGER IHETU BECOMES FIRST AFRICAN TO WIN WORLD TITLE

Dick Tiger, also known as Richard Ihetu won the WBA World Middleweight Title in 1962, becoming the first African to win a world title in boxing.

8. NIGERIA HOSTS REST OF THE WORLD FOR U-2O WORLD CUP

Nigeria successfully hosted the rest of the world during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1999.

9. SUPER FALCONS MOST SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL TEAM IN AFRICA

Nigeria’s Senior Women’s National Team won a record-extending 11th African Women’s Cup of Nation to add colour to their title of being the most successful national football team in Africa, both male and female combined.

10. D’TIGRESS CONQUERS AFRICA FOUR TIMES IN A ROW

Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team extended their three-peat record in 2023, by winning the FIBA Afro Women’s basket to become 4-time consecutive champions of Africa

11. NIGERIAN WRESTLERS IN GOLD RUSH AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Nigerian wrestlers, Odunayo Adekuoroye and Blessing Obordudu stormed to gold medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to continue Nigeria’s success in Wrestling on the world stage.

12. OLUSOJI FASUBA SETS AFRICAN 100M RECORD

Olusoji Fasuba set the record of 9.85s at the Doha Grand Prix in May 2006, thus breaking the record of 9.86 seconds set in 1996 for the fastest man in Africa.

13. NIGERIA’S TOBI AMUSAN BREAKS 100M HURDLES WORLD RECORD

in 2022, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan broke the women’s 100m hurdles world record with a time of 12.12 seconds, before going on to win gold at the World Athletics Championships Oregon, USA

14. NIGERIA’S VICTOR OSIMHEN WINS TOP SCORER PRIZE, ITALIAN SCUDETTO

Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen won the highest goalscorer award in the Italian Serie A, helping Napoli win the scudetto for the first time in 33 years. He has gone on to become the highest-scoring African in the Italian topflight.

15. PAUL KEHINDE SHATTERS WORLD RECORD IN POWERLIFTING

Paul Kehinde, a Nigerian Powerlifter broke the men’s 65kg World Record at the 2016 Rio Games, to win the gold medal. The Powerlifter then lifted a whopping 220 kg to break the world record he held.

“We have reasons to celebrate our sportsmen and women, heroes and heroines, both local and international,” Senator Enoh said. “Thousands of them have represented the country and have enhanced our global image. On this day, we celebrate their efforts and humongous sense of patriotism.”

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Sports

SWAN President Calls for Gender-Fair Reporting in Sports Journalism

Published

6 hours ago

October 26, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, has urged sports journalists to eliminate gender stereotypes and bias in their reports to promote fairness, inclusion and greater visibility for women in sports.

Benjamin made the call on Monday in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Removing Gender Stereotypes and Bias in Sports Reporting” at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Training/Seminar for Journalists, organised by the Women Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

He said sports journalists play a critical role in shaping public opinion, influencing athletes’ visibility and determining which achievements receive recognition, sponsorship and investment.

According to him, the way the media reports women in sports can either reinforce existing barriers or help dismantle them.

Benjamin explained that gender-sensitive journalism requires fairness, accuracy, equality and inclusion, stressing that it does not mean giving female athletes favourable coverage or shielding them from legitimate criticism.

He identified common forms of bias in sports reporting, including giving men’s competitions greater prominence, focusing on female athletes’ appearance rather than performance, defining women by their marital or family status, and questioning their competence in leadership positions.

The SWAN president urged journalists to adopt respectful language, apply consistent professional standards and extend coverage beyond national teams to domestic leagues, grassroots competitions, female coaches, referees and sports administrators.

Using Nigeria’s sporting landscape as an example, he said the achievements of the Super Falcons deserved sustained analysis beyond match results, including discussions on investment, player development, professional leagues and grassroots structures.

He also noted that digital platforms offered opportunities to expand coverage of women’s sports but warned journalists against sensationalism, online harassment and sexist commentary.

Benjamin proposed seven measures, including gender-sensitive editorial guidelines, regular coverage audits, diversified sources, professional development, stronger grassroots reporting and measurable progress.

He called on SWAN to collaborate with the NOC, sports federations, leagues and clubs to improve access to information and strengthen women’s visibility in sports.

He urged journalists to ensure that athletes are judged by their performances and achievements rather than gender stereotypes.

“Gender-sensitive journalism must be fair, not favourable,” he said, emphasising that responsibility for change rests with reporters, editors, broadcasters, photographers and digital publishers.

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