Nigeria Sports Heroes – JSS3 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note (Second Term)

A hero (male) or heroine (female) is a person who has done something remarkable that makes people admire him or her. Nigerian sportsmen and women have put Nigeria’s name in the record books as a sporting nation. Similarly, several people have excelled in physical and health education and made the country proud.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain who a hero or heroine is;
2. name some Nigerian sports heroes and heroines;
3. state the contributions of some Nigerian sports heroes and heroines to sports development;
4. name some professionals in physical and health education in Nigeria and state what they contributed.

Who are some Nigerian sports heroes and heroines?

The following people have contributed to the development of sports and the nation at large:

1. Harding J. Ekperigin (Father of Physical Education in Nigeria)
2. Samuel Okwaraji
3. Falilat Ogunkoya
4. Mary Onyali Omagbemi
5. Patrick Oluwasegun Odegbami
6. Mr Richard Ihetu (Dick Tiger)
7. Teslim Balogun
8. Christian Chukwu
9. Chioma Ajunwa
10. Modupe Oshikoya
11. Stephen Keshi
12. Austin Okocha
13. Nwankwo Kanu
14. Jerry Okorodudu
15. Nojim Mayegun

What did some Nigerian sports heroes contribute?

Harding J. Ekperigin

He is popularly referred to as the father of physical education in Nigeria.

1. He formed the Central Committee of the Amateur Athletics Association in 1944.
2. He encouraged the formation of a professional organisation for physical and health education in 1961.

Samuel Okwaraji

1. He won a silver medal at the 1988 African Nations Cup for Nigeria.
2. He had a career in Europe which included playing for AS Roma, NK Dinamo Zagreb, VfB Stuttgart and SSV Ulm.

Falilat Ogunkoya

• Gold medals at the national championships:
  • 1996 (400m)
  • 1998 (200m)
  • 1999 (400m)
  • 2001 (400m)
• Bronze medal at Atlanta 1996

Mary Onyali Omagbemi

She was the fastest woman in Africa for many years. She has won the following bronze medals:

1. 1992 Summer Olympics (4 by 100m relay race)
2. 1996 Summer Olympics (200 metres)
3. 1996 Commonwealth Games

Olumide Oyedeji

He played professional basketball in the NBA. He has also played for C.B. Granada basketball club in Spain.

Nojim Mayegun

He is a retired boxer who won the bronze medal in the men’s light middleweight (71kg) category at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Nwankwo Kanu

1. He was a member of the triumphant Golden Eaglets team at the 1993 Under-17 World Cup in Japan.
2. He was part of the team that won the gold medal for Nigeria in the soccer event at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.

What did some professionals contribute to physical and health education in Nigeria?

Some of the professionals in physical and health education in Nigeria include:

1. Harding J. Ekperigin
2. Prof. M.O. Ajisafe
3. Prof. John Adedeji
4. Prof. James Abodunrin Amala
5. Isaac Akioye

Harding J. Ekperigin

He was an all-round sportsman in his days.

1. He formed the Central Committee of the Amateur Athletics Association in 1944.
2. He encouraged the formation of a professional organisation for physical and health education in 1961.

Prof. M.O. Ajisafe

He is one of the pioneers of curriculum and instruction materials in physical education.

• In 1969, he and others successfully canvassed for the adoption of a syllabus that would reflect the geo-cultural background of Nigeria, to replace the 1933 syllabus imported to the country by the British Government. This gave birth to the current 6-3-3-4 system of education.

Isaac Akioye

He was the first professional to be appointed as Director of Sports at the National Sports Commission. During his tenure, the Nigeria Polytechnic Game Association (NIPOGA), the Nigeria Colleges of Education Games Association (NICEGA) and the Nigerian Schools Sports Federation (NSSF) were founded.

Prof. John Adedeji

He was one of the pioneers of physical and health education in Nigeria. He started as a lecturer at the University of Ife, at the Institute of Physical Education. He was a member of the committee that wrote the physical education syllabus for junior and senior secondary schools in Nigeria.

Prof. James Abodunrin

• He has been involved in the promotion of health education.
• He served the country in various capacities, especially as a consultant on health education for the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Other professionals

There are other outstanding professionals, many of whom are university professionals, who have contributed greatly to the development of physical and health education in Nigeria. Some of them include:

• Mr Funsho Adeolu
• Mr Hemi Tells
• Prof. Dr Eniola Lasun

Evaluation

1. Who is a hero or heroine?
2. Who is popularly called the father of physical education in Nigeria?
3. State two contributions of Harding J. Ekperigin to Nigeria.
4. Which medal did Nojim Mayegun win at the 1964 Olympic Games, and in which category?
5. Name two organisations that were founded during Isaac Akioye’s tenure as Director of Sports at the National Sports Commission.

Assignment

1. List five Nigerian heroes and heroines, excluding those listed above, and state two of their contributions to the development of Nigerian sports.