I'm back.

Henry Akinwande




Henry Akinwande (born 12 October 1965) is a retired English professional heavyweight boxer and former WBO heavyweight champion. Akinwande was born in London, England but went to live in his parents homeland of Nigeria as a 4-year-old and came back to England as a 21-year-old (1986). As an amateur boxing out of the Lynn amateur boxing club in Camberwell, SE London, he was ABA heavyweight champion in both 1988 and 1989, beating another fellow Nigerian and future WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide and represented Great Britain in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Obafemi Ayanbadejo



Obafemi Devin Ayanbadejo (born March 5, 1975) is a former American football fullback. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at San Diego State.

Ayanbadejo also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and has been on the offseason roster of the Chicago Bears. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. He is the older brother of NFL linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo.

Ayanbadejo was born in Chicago to a Nigerian father and an American mother of Irish descent. He played high school football at Santa Cruz High School.

Ade Jimoh



Adebola Olurotimi "Ade" Jimoh (born April 18, 1980) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Utah State University.

Jimoh has also been a member of the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots. His name "Adebola" means "Crown meets wealth" in the Yoruba language.

Jimoh grew up in Canoga Park and attended El Camino Real High School where he was a two-year letterman and a second-team all-league selection, as well as a preseason third-team all-area pick. In his senior year, his team won the city championship.

John Fashanu




John Fashanu (born 18 September 1962), often referred to as Fash, is an English television presenter and former professional footballer of Nigerian (paternal) and Guyanese (maternal) descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward from 1978 until 1995, most notably in an eight-year spell at Wimbledon F.C. in which he won the FA Cup in 1988 and scored over 100 goals in all competitions.

Fashanu was born in Kensington, London, the son of Pearl Gopal, a nurse from British Guyana and Patrick Fashanu, a Nigerian barrister living in the UK. When his parents split up he was sent, together with his older brother Justin to a Barnardo's home. When he was five, he and his brother were fostered by Alf and Betty Jackson and were brought up in Shropham near Attleborough, Norfolk.

He also played for Norwich City, Miramar Rangers, Lincoln City, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Aston Villa. He scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years.

teamchocolate:
Hmmmnnn, Ujesha ni yeye re.... interesting

I also saw the name 'Ibidapo-Obe'.

Proudly Ijesha

Baba Re A Gbe Oooooooo

God Bless Yorubaland.

This thread is da bomb.

Britain's first £1million black footballer - Justin Fashanu. John Fashanu's brother.

Justin Fashanu



Justinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu (19 February 1961 – 2 May 1998) was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was also the first black footballer to command a £1million transfer fee, with his transfer from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest in 1981, but had little success as a player afterwards, although he continued to play at senior level until 1994.

Fashanu was the son of a Nigerian barrister living in the UK and a Guyanese nurse called Pearl. When his parents split up, he and his brother, John, were sent to a Barnardo's home. When he was six, he and his brother were fostered by Alf and Betty Jackson and were brought up in Shropham near Attleborough, Norfolk. Justin Fashanu excelled at boxing as a youth, and was rumoured at one time to be pursuing a professional boxing career instead of his footballing career.

Devin Aromashodu



Gbolahan Devin Aromashodu (born May 23, 1984) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.

Aromashodu has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

Aromashodu was born and raised in Miami, Florida. His father, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, was deeply fond of football, but was reluctant to let his son play. Aromashodu eventually convinced his father to let him join a youth football team, where he surprised his father by becoming one of the team's best players. Aromashodu attended Miami Springs High School, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball and track. In football, he played as a wide receiver, defensive back and kickoff returner. As a junior, he caught 29 passes for 620 yards and seven touchdowns and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. As a senior, he caught 17 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 372 yards and four scores on offense, while also totaled 45 tackles and one interception on defense. He frequently played against future teammate Devin Hester.

Also an standout track & field athlete, Aromashodu was one of the state's top sprinters. At the 2002 FHSAA State T&F Championships, he earned second-place finishes in both 100-meter dash (10.62 s) and 200-meter dash (22.28 s) events. In addition, he also ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, bench-pressed 250 lb, squatted 285 and had a 42-inch vertical jump.

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila




Muhammed-Kabeer Olanrewaju Gbaja-Biamila (born September 24, 1977), nicknamed "KGB", is a former American football defensive end who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and played his entire career for the Packers. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2003.

Gbaja-Biamila attended Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, California and was a student and a three-year letterman in football and track and field. In football, as a senior, he was named the Central City Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Kabeer is fifth child born to Bolatito Gbaja-Biamila (née: Anjorin) and the second child to Mustapha Gbaja-Biamila. His middle name "Olanrewaju" means "My Wealth is the future" in the Yoruba language He is the older brother of former NFL linebacker Akbar Gbaja-Biamila. He also has a twin sister and another brother named Abdul. His last name, Gbaja-Biamila means "big man come save me." This name comes from his paternal great-great-grandfather who stood seven feet tall and was the village moderator in the Nigerian village in which he lived. He graduated from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Both of his parents were Muslim, until his mother converted to Christianity. While he was raised under a Sunni Muslim household, during his rookie season with the Green Bay Packers he converted to Christianity. He adheres to the Leviticus diet mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible.

In October 2007, Gbaja-Biamila broke the Green Bay Packers sack record with 69 sacks, which was previously held by Hall of Famer Reggie White with 68½ sacks. Originally, Gbaja-Biamila was not credited with a third sack against Vikings quarterback Kelly Holcomb during the Packers vs. Vikings game on September 30. Later on in the week, the Elias Sports Bureau reviewed game footage and credited Gbaja-Biamila with a third sack on Kelly Holcomb, who was originally ruled as rushing for zero yards.

He was a 2013 inductee, along with Packer kicker Chris Jacke, into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame

Aareonakakanfo:




The NURTW thing is not specific to the south-west alone,its national.As per the emboldened, that's because you reside in the south-west.I've been to other parts of Nigeria and its the same thing.Not trying to compare ourselves with others though,just saying

NURTW here is on another level, i stayed in Abekuta a couple of years ago and i can't remember seeing kids play sports in some corner, save for our stadiums that are under locks anyway, where are the sport centers or corners?
The ones that are scattered around lagos is dominated by you know who

One sport we still dominate is basketball

Emmanuel Adebayor



Born in Lomé to parents of Yoruba ethnicity, Adebayor spent most of his youth in Togo where he attended the Centre de Développement Sportif de Lomé (English: Sports Development Centre of Lomé), also known as Sporting Club de Lomé. Adebayor was spotted playing for Sporting Club de Lomé by scouts from Metz, who brought him to France in 1999. He made his Ligue 1 debut against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on 17 November 2001. Following Metz's relegation he played a season in Ligue 2, where 13 goals in 34 league matches prompted a summer 2003 move to Monaco. He featured nine times in Europe as Monaco reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final against Porto in Gelsenkirchen, for which he was an unused substitute.

Maurice Edu



Edu Maurice Edu, Jr. (born April 18, 1986) is an American soccer player who plays for the Philadelphia Union.

A highly touted prospect, Edu was the first overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft and won the MLS Rookie of the Year Award with Toronto FC. His performances for Toronto earned him international call ups to the United States national team and the attention of clubs in Europe. He signed with Scottish powers Rangers, winning the Scottish Premier League three times. Following Rangers' financial problems, he joined Stoke City; however, failing to make an impact, he spent time on loan with Turkey's Bursaspor before returning to MLS with Philadelphia.

Edu is the son of Nigerian immigrant parents. His father, Maurice Sr., was a mathematics teacher, and his mother is a chemistry teacher. Edu has three sisters and a brother Reggie Edu.

Edu has a younger brother Reggie Edu, who is a Teacher, Coach and Director of Coaching for the southern Californian youth soccer club Newcastle United FC out of Upland, CA, and three older sisters. He featured alongside Guillermo Ochoa and Ronaldinho as one of the FIFA 09 cover stars in North America.

Ade Akinbiyi



Adeola Oluwatoyin "Ade" Akinbiyi (born 10 October 1974) is a former Nigerian footballer who played as a forward.

Akinbiyi has had a much-travelled career with many different clubs with transfer fees totalling more than £11.5 million during his career, including being Leicester City's record signing (at £5.3 million).

Born in Hackney, London to Nigerian parents, Akinbiyi qualified to play internationally for Nigeria, and through his birthplace for England. He was called up on three separate occasions for Nigeria, playing once in 1999 against Greece in London.

Seyi Ajirotutu



Oluseyi Ajirotutu (born June 12, 1987) is an American football wide receiver and special teamer for the Philadelphia Eagles of National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Fresno State.

Ajirotutu has also played for the Carolina Panthers.

Seyi has been married to Autumn Ajirotutu since 2012, who currently appears on the E! reality show WAGS. They are the parents to twin girls Londyn and Laiyah.

Benson Mayowa



Benson Babatunde Mayowa (born August 3, 1991) is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Idaho. He is of Nigerian descent.

He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks in May 2013 as an undrafted free agent. And he won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team.

Am happy for being a YORUBA man, GREAT OMO ODUDUWA

SirShymexx:
I'm back.

right, I noticed you were gone.

SirShymexx

T. J. Fatinikun



Ayokunle Olatunji "T. J." Fatinikun born July 28, 1991 in Lagos, Nigeria is an American football defensive end who is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Toledo and attended Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, Ohio. He has also been a member of the Portland Thunder and Orlando Predators.

Fatinikun played high school football for the Perrysburg High School Yellow Jackets. He was named first-team all-conference, first-team all-district and special mention all-state. He recorded 65 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks his senior year. Fatinikun made second-team all-league, recording 55 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks his junior year. In his Junior year, he also led the Yellow Jackets to their first State Playoff berth in school history. He totaled 73 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a sophomore.

SirShymexx what state do u reside ?.

Aareonakakanfo:
IyaIode most of those sport stars didn't start in Naija,they grew up outside the country.Its hard for the Yoruba youths in Nigeria to go international.Even the idea that we dominate basketball is a hoax,this is Nigeria's basketball team

I dont think we dominate team sports.

Marvin Ogunjimi



Marvin Ogunjimi (born 12 October 1987 in Mechelen) is a Belgian football forward of Nigerian descent, who currently plays for Strømsgodset in Norwegian Premier League. Until 2011, he played for the Belgian national team and has obtained 7 caps.

On 8 October 2010, he made his international debut for Belgium against Kazakhstan in Astana, coming on at half-time and scoring twice in a 2–0 victory.

Sheyi Ojo



Oluwaseyi Babajide "Sheyi" Ojo (born 19 June 1997) is an English footballer who plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers as a winger on loan from Liverpool.

Born in Hemel Hempstead, England, His name "Babajide" is a variant form of the Yoruba name: Babatunde, meaning "Father returns" or "Father comes back to life". Ojo joined the academy of MK Dons when he was 10 years old. By the age of 13 Ojo had played for the Dons' U18 side and was training with the first team squad. During his time at the club Ojo became the first MK Dons trainee to receive an international cap at youth level.

jstbeinhonest:
SirShymexx what state do u reside ?.

I don't live in America.

John Salako



John Akin Salako (born 11 February 1969) is an English former professional footballer, sports television pundit and first team coach of Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, Salako played as a midfielder from 1986 until 2005, he notably played in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Charlton Athletic, in the Football League for Swansea City, Bolton Wanderers, Fulham, Reading and Brentford. He represented England at senior level, earning five caps, all during 1991 while he was a Crystal Palace player

Great thread, God bless you.
Its good you chose to celebrate your own but I think there's the need to focus more on challenges facing the Yoruba states and people. They stream out graduates and are facing unemployment more than other groups and pressure must be put on those in government to deliver on proactive and creative infrastructures to support economic developments.
Take Oyo state for instance, ibadan is Nigeria's largest city, Ogbomoso is probably third largest in Southwest, Oyo, Saki, Iseyin etc have all not been translated to economic value. The Oyo and Oke Ogun areas in Oyo state can produce enough food crops for the whole of southwest, yet government has no clear cut transport policy, no secondary market, just nothing.
Ibadan is just starting to witness some levels of government attention. The cross of Ibadan is no longer Lagos but Abuja because many investors see the FCT as a place to make money in the services industry. Ogun as an industrial giant isn't in doubt and itvwill continue to be but the government of the state has failed to strategize by taking advantage of those new Lagos cities.They are all abandoned from Otta to Mowe Ibafo, Agbara ,I thought right thinking government would have built cheap estates with shopping malls, hotels, schools to create new economic centre's , large markets, mechanic village etc
The failure of ogun state in that wise can be blessings to ibadan because the next economic city to Lagos is ibadan and places like Otta are overpopulated and the transit system is abysmal
I think Osun has not gained anything significant since Akande left and together with Ondo and Ekiti need rebirth.
The current economic downturn is now making people open their eyes and demand for accountability in governance and if the next 8years can be result oriented, the southwest will move forward