Women From Nigeria

"Building the right team is essential, but finding individuals who understand both the artistic and business aspects can be challenging."

"A servant is to ensure that everything works well including to train and assist my staff."

"Every Nigerian is entitled to a lawyer if charged before a court, no matter how heinous the crime or how large the sum alleged to have been stolen."

"I was determined to show people what I could achieve."

"I must confess that talent management is one of the most selfless jobs and requires a high level of discipline."

"I am happy with the return of the National Sports Festival, after an absence of six years, because this is is an avenue from where we can spot future talents."

"We made the whole world to focus on just the two of us in the women’s 400m. Charity was in great form and had a 5-0 lead in our first five meetings together. I remember she ran an altitudes aided 49.87 in Johannesburg and I came a distant second in 50.27."

"Fashion is your way of life. It is your statement. It is the way you feel like expressing yourself in all ramifications of life. For me, fashion is not just about dressing or makeup or jewelleries. It is about the way you speak, the way you carry yourself in public and the way you comport yourself among others. I don’t wear heavy makeup nor go crazy about clothes. I try to be as simple as possible. I also love to be very smart in appearance, may be because of my background as a former athlete."

"I lost to Charity by the narrowest of margins in Oslo (50.13 to 50.15) and thought I was getting back to shape but when she scorched to a new 49.29 seconds personal best at the Golden Gala in Rome, I was scared my African record would be gone that year if I didn’t get into shape. I was third in that race that night in 49.89 seconds. It was my first run inside 50 seconds that year but Charity’s performance got me really worried. She was 3-0 up at this stage but my worry and that of my coach, Tony Osheku was that we could lose the African record of 49.10 seconds that got me a bronze medal at the Olympics in 1996. My coach even said if she breaks the record,we would go back to our base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA to train harder. It was that scary"

"I will say that sports has been or was in my DNA. I started from my primary school days. But I got noticed while I was running for my secondary school during the school inter-house sports competition at Obieziama Secondary School in Imo State. One of the athletics coaches at the then Imo State Sports Council, Chief Leo Ozurumba, just came to me after my race. He said to me, ‘you will run for Imo State and for Nigeria. You have the talent and determination.’ He later took me to the Sports Council and that was when it all started. I was about 12 years then."

"In Dakar, Charity was the favourite to win. She was on top of the world ranking at that stage with some quality performances including the 49.29 seconds she ran in Rome which was the second fastest in the African all-time list at the time. I was however unshaken in my resolve to end her dominance over me! In the final, I raced home first in 50.07 seconds with Charity second in 50.13. Wow, I was on top of the world not because it was my second African Championships 400m gold after the win in 1989 in Lagos, but because I was emotionally lifted and I didn’t look back from there, winning the 200m in a new 22.22 seconds personal best. I won our next four encounters in Lausanne, Brussels, Berlin and Moscow at the Grand Prix final before running an altitudes aided 49.52 seconds to win the World Cup in Johannesburg. It was a remarkable turnaround for me and a glorious show by Charity and I that got us ranked 1, 2 in the world. That was the first and so far only time Nigerians would dominate an event in the circuit."

"Hard work. Every training session was like my last on earth. There was the target of breaking and setting records before you. The coaches will remind you of getting your personal best time. At times, I even trained with the guys. This propels you to train daily as if your life depends on it. But truly, our lives then depended on athletics. So my strength was diligence. But I must add that once I remembered that I was running for Nigeria, it also drew inner strength for me."

"I have been with you for years and we know ourselves deeply. I think we would make better couple. I have a deep feeling for you. Tried as I did to suppress it, I get more and more troubled."

"Apart from Ogunkoya, only two other Nigerians have been able to go under 50s: Charity Opara & Fatima Yusuf who are members of this exclusive club. In 1998, Opara ran a PB of 49.29s in Rome, while Yusuf ran a PB of 49.43s to win the African Games title in Harare in 1995!"

"Not All Slim Girls Have Flat Ass."

"ESE BRUME HAS WON A GOLD MEDAL! It was never in doubt, but Brume after coming under an early pressure, pulled up TWO Games Records, jumping 700 to reclaim her #CommonwealthGames crown. If there's ever an athlete who always delivers for Naija (Nigeria), it is Ese Brume."

"To tell you the truth, as a former Athlete, I am impressed by this initiative (Abuja Youth Games). This is really very noble. This is what the Ministry of Youth and Sports should encourage because this is the only way we can go back to the grass root to discover future Athletes that can represent the Nation in the future."

"I proudly congratulate the duo of Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, both winning at the Diamond League held in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America. Oluwatobiloba Amusan for winning the 100m Women’s Hurdles in a time of 12.33 to reclaim her Diamond League title while Nigerian long jumper, Ese Brume for her silver medal achievement in the long jump event at the Diamond League. The duo of Tobi and Brume represents strength, mental toughness, and the Nigerian spirit....From the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games to the Diamond Leagues, Ese has consistently ranked among the top athletes in her sport globally. I join millions of Nigerians globally to felicitate with both Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume on their deserved wins at the Diamond League. Both victories are those that will restore their confidence after the difficult ordeal both passed through this year....Brume came close to winning her first Diamond League title after leaping 6.85m, just as Ivana Vuketa, who won gold, I am mostly proud of her for finishing strong, despite missing out on first place by very small margins. I urge Tobi, Brume, and other Nigerian athletes to reflect on this season, applaud themselves for their hard work, and look towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games."

"What I am bringing on board is facilities others don’t have in their sport parks and I want to use them to groom potential athletes and give them encouragement. It is my desire to move them to the next level. We are starting this project because we need expansion for more activities, we now have the indoor sports arena, basketball, badminton , graded tracks surface area, football field, we have the gymnasium; it’s a one stop shop for sports activities."

"I was talking to her (Brume) about education, and I asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She talked about beauty pageants, they had a beauty pageant in a church that week, and she was going to be part of it. I told her that, you know, you can be in beauty pageants in many things in life. So I encouraged her to go to school, and I encouraged her to step in training."

"I want to use this Moment to appreciate God for all he has done in my life and for what he is still doing, I don’t know where to start."

"Ese Brume has continued to make us proud time and again. From the Olympics to the Commonwealth Games to the Diamond Leagues, Ese has consistently ranked amongst the top athletes in her sports, globally, While it is disappointing that she narrowly missed out on the Diamond League title, I want to state that the country remains proud of her achievements. I am sure that she will bounce back and take her rightful place. I urge her and other athletes likewise to stay focused on the bigger picture as we draw closer to the 2024 Olympic Games."

"I want to make young girls believe that all things are possible. You know they can do exactly or even better than what I'm doing right now. I'm not any super girl from one unique place. No, I'm a local girl from Ughelli. So if this local girl can do it, can come this far from nothing to become something, then you also can do it."

"Pressure is coming in from different places, from Nigeria, from my team, from Africa as a whole. I try as much as possible not to let that overwhelm me, take it one step at a time, not to rush. I try not to panic at any point in time and I do not see anyone as a rival. It's something that has helped me, and it has really brought me this far. And then the only thing to do is to surpass my personal best. I try to beat myself."

"Tobi Amusan is my best friend, everybody knows. It was amazing for us because this is what we are trained for. She deserves it so much. Last championships, we just got one medal. Now we are getting out with two medals. It is a wonderful night for Nigeria, for all of us."

"I know this will be an inspiration for them (young girls). Of course, when you see someone you look up to doing well, you want to definitely be like them. So this is going to motivate and inspire them. I hope it works."

"The Rio Olympics taught me that you should never look down on yourself and stick to what you believe in. I told myself if I'm able to make it to the final with one leg, I should be able to make the podium on two legs."

"To win a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2019 gave me a lot of confidence that, 'OK, so I can actually compete with the top athletes in the world. I could actually do better still because that wasn't my best, you know, so it made me believe that I could get better. And so far, I have been working with that mindset, and it's helping me, and I can see a lot of improvement."

"I told myself that I had to tell the federation and everyone that it was about my run up. I wanted to prove everyone wrong, because everyone was like ‘What was wrong with me?’ I was the world leader and all of a sudden I came last. I had to turn to God and put Him first and He did it."

"It's a huge achievement for me and my coach. It was a surprise for us at first and, you know, it was something that we didn't expect to happen at that moment. It just happened. And we're still trying to recover from it. And hopefully...I'm able to back this distance, and hopefully, it should get me a medal."

"You have to be content and hard working in life; it gives me great pleasure to spend from my sweat and not having to beg and compromise."

"I’m excited and grateful to God. I’m super happy that I was able to make the top three. I’ll say I’m not the best athlete but I’m grateful to God for bringing me this far. I can’t contain my joy no matter the colour of the medal."

"I am happy to promote Abi to recruiting coordinator after watching her work this past year(2016). Abi has been a critical part of our recruiting success since we arrived in Ypsilanti. Her ability to organize and execute our recruiting game plans has allowed us to add elite student athletes to our program. Abi's work ethic and attention to detail has earned her the title of recruiting coordinator."

"It has been a great season for me right from April when I was injured but I never settled for less no matter the challenges. I keep on pushing and my coach keeps telling me that Ese you can do it. It is not all about the training but the faith I have in God."

"This is one thing I really wanted, to get the Games record. This is special for me because it shows consistency. It shows the hard work of all those that have supported me and my coach, who has been backing me up. Sometimes it's about how you're able to show that what you're doing is not a fluke."

"My dream is to become the world’s best so I know that for the World Championships, I will be on the medals table because I should be doing much better before then. If not the GOLD, I will be on the medals table."

"If there is one thing that is true about the Connecticut Sun, it's that the organization is putting the idea into action that once you are a part of the WNBA family, you will be taken care of. There is an investment in your success not only during your time in this league, but after you’re playing career is over. I am excited to be a part of this special organization and hope to facilitate great guidance to these amazing professional athletes."

"To be apart of the Frog Family and to be back in the Big 12 is a dream come true. I'm excited about Coach Pebley’s vision for TCU women's basketball and ready to help continue the success that was accomplished last season."

"To reach the pinnacle of women’s basketball and coach some of the best players in the world is such an honor and a privilege. I jumped at the opportunity to work with my former coach, Stephanie White, because I know her energy to win from the perspective of a player and now, as a coach."

"I was very interested in coaching after playing. It’s a natural transition for players to be closely affiliated around the sport. Playing collegiate basketball makes you very relatable to your players."

"I have never felt like I had to hide my name or show my name to do this. It's like, if you know me, you do. If you don't, you don't. And he’s (her father) always like, ‘Be proud of who you are, like, be proud of what I've done, and what our family's done and what's you’re gonna add to the legacy and your kids will add to the legacy.’ And I just think the honesty of just being 100%, my authentic self has been such a huge thing."

"They were like, ‘What woman who watches daytime talk shows is gonna care about if Miami is gonna three-peat with LeBron (James) and Chris Bosh?"

"I was lucky enough to have amazing coaches and to play at the highest capacity. It’s one of those things that you are able to relate and have compassion for the players and know what they’re going through psychologically and use the parallels of how to push and motivate without being negative to help them grow to their highest potential."

"When I see the things for Bronny (LeBron James’ son) and I think about my younger brothers and things like that, you know, media does put such a high expectation on you. But when the one person who built this legacy is like, ‘Be yourself. I don't care if you play basketball. I don't care if you're a teacher, as long as you're a good person with a moral compass and you are impacting the world in a positive way that's what every parent wants.’ And I think that is the best part."

"A lot of it I am getting acclimated with as well. But we are getting really prepared and I can definitely see that we are getting focused for conference. I am really excited about it."

"I have known Abi for over 10 years and have been fortunate to see her development. Her basketball career is a remarkable one having competed in two Final Fours and playing in the WNBA. While at Cal State Fullerton, she proved to be a dynamic recruiter. I am thrilled Abi has joined our staff and she will make an immediate impact."

"I loved her (Abi) as a player. We played against her when I was at the University of Maryland. I had seen her on TV and I watched Oklahoma religiously. The only time we faced each other was her sophomore year. She’s 0-1 against me."

"Ready access to electricity will reduce youth unemployment and increase productivity."

"If you look at the floods that happened last year, two years ago in Nigeria, there was a lot of displacement of people, mainly people who were poor, and people who had nowhere to go."

"People had babies on their backs, their belongings on their heads, and they were carrying two or three children and trying to get to safety. That is the archetype of what happens when there is a climate disaster when there are rising seas, floods, and rising temperatures."