ACTIVISM ENTERTAINMENT FINANCE/ECONOMY HEALTH LIFE-STYLE/TRENDS SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL SPORTS

SERENA AEZEEGBOH OHBEE NM NNKEH NNOOKWOO, just taking a look at EMMANUEL IFEAJUNA the FIRST NIGERIAN ( and only? Nigerian thus far JANUARY 2021 ) to win a GOLD MEDAL for NIGERIA at the COMMONWEALTH GAMES and whose name is thus far JANUARY 2021 NOT INCLUDED in the NIGERIA NATIONAL SPORTS HALL OF FAME because – according to rumours – he participated in a military coup. [2]

Bysam

Feb 10, 2021 emmanuel ifeajuna, emmanuel ifeajuna is the first black african to win a medal in any international event, emmanuel ijeajuna holds 1957 gold medal for high jump at commonwealth games in vancouver canada, nigeria sports hall of fame, serena williams

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EMMA IFEAJUNA was also a University graduate.

Serena nm, if you take into cognizance that :

[1] today 2021 there are a lot of Nigerians .. both young and old .. who would like to be University graduates but will never ever in their entire life-time on earth be graduates for one reason or to other e.g. the now-historical and current i.e presently existing cut-throat bitter competition to obtain admission into University here in Nigeria, etc

[2] there are some Nigerians who on the basis of
pure individual personal academic merit and
pure individual natural academic ability
alone
can outstrip
.. and in some instances far, far outstrip ..
ALL the academic challenge proffered by students from
everywhere and anywhere in world that may compete with them academically for placing i.e admission into a University
BUT
do not have and can not source or otherwise access the financing / funding required to pay their way through University
— especially here in Nigeria where it is presently not
.. and has not historically been ..
— a standard, easy, everyday or usual run-of-the-mill practice to
obtain a scholarship for studies
whether at Primary School level or Secondary School level or University level

then you can surmise that EMMA IFEAJUNA must have been

► a person of some substance
► a person from a background with some substance.

Serena nnkeh nm, if you also note that :

[3] he had a University degree at that era in time
( — circa 1957? i.e
before United Kingdom granted Nigeria self-rule/independence in 1960 — )
when having a degree was a very, very, very big thing here in Nigeria.

[4] he actually got his degree in Yoruba-land, Nigeria
( .. at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Yoruba-land, Nigeria .. )
as igbo-land / ibo-land Nigeria did not have a University at the time
( 1954 university admissions)
and
did not have for many years after the University of Ibadan was founded
in 1948 ►►►

( reference link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Ibadan )

until
( 1960- 1948 =) 12 years later when
the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was founded
… ostensibly arrow-headed by …
Dr. Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe,
Zik of Africa, Lion of Africa, Pan-Africanist Extra-ordinary ,
World-class Statesman Par Excellence

which makes you guess that

Emma Ifeajuna must have come from a background where there was someone i.e at least one person
with the financial capability and the willingness of heart / goodwill to

● foot his journeys from Igbo-land / Ibo-land to Yoruba-land and back throughout all the years he was in University
● pay for his lodging/accommodation throughout all the years he was in University
● pay for his feeding throughout all the years he was in University,
● pay for his tuition throughout all the years he was in University
and
● pay for his other related expenses and fees, if any, throughout all the years he was in University

[5] at that era in time ( circa 1957? )
when holding a degree in the sciences was accorded more esteem by the general Nigerian public ( according to rumours )
than obtaining a degree in the arts or social sciences
he actually held a good University degree in science / the sciences.

then Serena ormaahleechar nm, you can infer fairly easily that

he must have commanded some esteem
among his peers and persons aware of his existence
in that his early youth of ( 1957? – 1935 = ) 22 years.

Serena ohbee nm, if you now add the reality that

[6] at an/that era in world history ( .. circa 1954 .. )
when and wherein
black Africans i.e Negroes world-wide were being told direct to their face[s] that
they were inferior to the white-man in every way known to man
– genetically, intellectually, physically, and in any other way that humanity can think of –
he actually went to an international sports competition
( the Commonwealth Games and British Empire Games)
held in the white-man’s land ( Canada ) ►►►

{ .. Canada has been a white-folks country since
the aryans / caucasians /white folks dominated
the native North-American Indians there and settled there
and took over the place, hasn’t it ? }

►►► and umpired by the white-man ( i.e aryan Canadians,etc )
and actually obtained a GOLD MEDAL
— note : not SILVER .. not BRONZE .. GOLD .. pure, solid GOLD MEDAL –

racism or no racism
white superiority over blacks or no white superiority over blacks
colonialism or no colonialism
Nigeria still being property and ruled territory of Britain as part and parcel of British West Africa

that far back in 1954
i.e ( 1960 – 1954 = ) 6 whole years before
Britain granted Nigeria self-rule/independence in 1960
and
at the rather young age of ( 1954 – 1935 = ) 19 years only

that’s the young Emma Ifeajuna in the middle there holding the plaque

then you can imagine the kind of
individual personal regard and
individual personal esteem
that
he must have been held in
among his peers and persons aware of his existence
in that his rather early youth.

you know, Serena nnmaah nm,
according to wikipedia, Emma Ifeajuna was born in 1935 ►►►.

( reference link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_Ifeajuna
Emmanuel Ifeajuna. see also the sub-section titled High Jumping under the section Life and Career there )

►►►which sort of confirms our guess that
he was (1954 – 1935 = ) 19 years old when he won that
COMMON-WEALTH COMPETITION GOLD PRIZE.

you know, Serena ornyeh arnyih jee ar-mah ar-tuh,
also, according to wikipedia,
Emma Ifeajuna attended Secondary School in Onitsha at
the famous Dennis Memorial Grammar School ( D.M.G.S ), Onitsha
and graduated from high school in 1951.

Serena Williams my dear, let’s look at that 1951 graduation from
high school part of the information,
Serena ornyeh arnyih jee ar-ba nmba, especially given the near total confidence which everyone in the world virtually sort of has in wikipedia as a source for untainted, unbiased, and absolutely correct information.

Serena, for a very long while Nigeria modeled it’s education system on the United Kingdom system.
this meant that at Secondary School level, Nigeria had :
[1] the O-Level / O-Levels / Ordinary Level at the end of which one obtained a certificate after 5 years of study in secondary school from class/form 1 to class/form 5
and after that
[2] the A-level/ A-levels / Advanced level for 2 years after which one obtained the Higher School Certificate.

that A-levels tier of study is what is generally called High School in
Nigeria, United Kingdom and parts of the world that run
( .. or at a time ran .. )
that British type system.

it comprises of the Lower Six Class and the Upper Six Class.

Serena nnmaah nm, that statement by wikipedia that
“he graduated from high school in 1951.^[4]“
in the understanding of anyone acquainted with the
British O-levels and A-levels system
means that
he finished his A-levels in 1951

and also suggests that
if he was born in 1935
he was (1951 – 1935 = ) 16 years old when he finished his A-levels

and also further suggests that
if he did the A-levels in the normal 2 years
then he was probably (16 years – 2 years = ) 14 years old when
he got to O-levels in 1949

Serena, this is possible,
however,
there is credible information and confirm-able information from
members of the DMGS, Onitsha 1949 O-levels graduating set
such as for example
the late Engineer Sam Ojekwe, one time Assistant Director, ( Signals & Communications ), Nigerian Railway Corporation
who was also an Onitsha native like Emma Ifeajuna
and
who obtained his O-levels at the age of 17 years in 1949 ( having been born in 1932 ) that

● as at 1949 DMGS HAD NO A-LEVELS CLASS
● through-out all igbo-land THERE WAS NO A-LEVELS CLASS ANYWHERE IN 1949
● in fact, the only A-LEVELS CLASS IN THE ENTIRE EASTERN NIGERIA THEN WAS
THE HOPE WADELL SCHOOL
IN FAR AWAY CALABAR COMPLETELY OUTSIDE IGBO-LAND

● igbo-land/ibo-land students who were lucky enough to
find funding for continuing education after completing the O-levels
thus invariably proceeded to HOPE WADELL, CALABAR
as that was the only place with only A-LEVELS CLASS IN
THE ENTIRE EASTERN NIGERIA ( circa 1949 )

● igbo-land/ibo-land students who were very lucky proceeded to
farther outside igbo-land/ibo-land to
extremely very far way places like Lagos, Yoruba-land, Nigeria
where because of locational proximity / environmental proximity
they had access to opportunity to register and study for A-levels at the evening classes at Kings College, Lagos then.

Professor Louis A. Agu, one time Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka is rumoured to be one of that generation of igbo/ibo students who due to the in-availability of the A-level class anywhere in igbo-land/ibo-land registered for the evening classes at King’s College, Lagos, Yoruba-land in those days and thereafter obtained admission to study in the United Kingdom and thence proceeded to the U.K to study Engineering.

so, Serena nm, it is in all likelihood
a use of wrong terminology by wikipedia
to proclaim forth that :
“he graduated from high school in 1951.^[4]“
since as at 1949 D.M.G.S Onitsha did not have the A-level class.

Serena Williams ohbee nm, i stand to be corrected
by anyone anywhere and any entity anywhere
.. including wikipedia ..
that can profer empirical proof that
in 1949 D.M.G.S, Onitsha had and ran the A-LEVEL CLASS.

what wikipedia probably means is that
Ifeajuna obtained his O-levels in 1951.

if he obtained his A-levels in 1951,
it means he obtained his O-levels in 1949
and then after that did the A-levels for 2 years at DMGS, Onitsha
thus leading to his obtaining the Higher School Certificate in 1951.

Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha logo

as we can see from personal knowledge of the lifetime of
members of the DMGS, Onitsha 1949 O-levels graduating set
such as for example
the late Engineer Sam Ojekwe,
the late Dr. Eugene Mgbojikwe,
the late Dr. Dozie Ikedife,
etc,
members of the D.M.G.S O-levels graduating class of 1949
did not stay back at DMGS to do the A-levels classes from 1949 to 1951
as DMGS has no A-levels class then.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna was probably their junior at D.M.G.S
and also at the O-levels
by 2 years
and probably got his O-levels school certificate in 1951
two years after they got theirs in 1949.

you know, Serena nm, furthermore
wikipedia does not tell exactly which year he graduated from
the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Yoruba-land, Nigeria
although
wikipedia states clearly that he got into University of Ibadan in 1954.

wikipedia also does not shed light on whether
he got admission into the University of Ibadan
after or before
he won the Common-wealth Games GOLD MEDAL in the same 1954.

Serena aezeegboh nm, i suppose a guess can be made at the date[s]
for example
from knowledge of the date i.e
from knowledge of the period
when
the Empire Games were usually held
back when Britain ran the British Empire
from Africa, through North America and Australia to Asia, etc.

according to rumours, Serena nnkeh nm,
there was something called Empire Day Games back then in the 1950s
and
also, according to rumours, usually,
they were held around October 1 every year
which date was called EMPIRE DAY
and was marked as a public holiday throughout all the British Empire
from Africa e.g Ghana, Nigeria, the Gambia,Sierra-Leone
through North America e.g Canada
and Australia
to Asia e.g India, Hong Kong, China?, etc
at the time.

so at a guess
that Empire Games and Common-wealth Games of 1954
may have been held around October 1, 1954.

also, Serena aezeegboh nm, according to rumours,
the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Yoruba-land, Nigeria had
a yearly i.e annual September admission for new incoming students
back then in 1954.

so at a guess, my dear Serena Williams, Emmanuel Ifeajuana won that
Empire Games and Common-wealth Games of 1954
around October 1, 1954 at the age of 19 years
shortly after obtaining admission into the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Yoruba-land, Nigeria
in the September 1954 University of Ibadan admissions.

so much for conjecture.

what this high-lights, Serena Williams my dear, is
the dangerous lack of proper tutelage/teaching of Nigeria’s history to Nigeria’s children.

Serena, that the first black African to win a gold medal in an international event anywhere in the world does not receive a mention in the history classes either in the secondary school or primary school curriculum of
his native nation is horrendous.

and that there is a lack of easy accessible accurate data in the public space in his native country as to which year he actually graduated from university despite the reality that he was at university in that his native country at a time when a obtaining a university degree in that his own native country ( Nigeria ) was the absolute virtual equivalent of acquiring the mythical golden fleece is even more horrifying.

what is even more frightening is that this instance may be
► a reflection of the true nature of Nigeria
► a reflection of the deeper nature of Nigeria
► a reflection of the inner nature of Nigeria
► a reflection of the true, deeper, innermost nature of Nigeria

in any event/case, Serena Williams aezeegboh ohbee nm,
going back to information that we can verify about him
wikipedia tells us that he taught for some time before
joining the Nigeria Army in 1960.

according to rumours, at circa 1954, usually, then,
a course at the University took 3 years.

so, if he got admission in 1954 and spent 3 years studying
he probably graduated in 1957
and then did some stuff for another 3 years before
joining the Nigeria Army in 1960.

anyway, Serena Williams nnkeh nm, whatever may be the accurate, precise details concerning the trajectory of his life at that 1954-1957-1960 period
i guess there is no need to add that he must also have been a

► national celebrity,
► a sports celebrity,
► a national sports celebrity.

the fact that APEX MILL
– a leading paper manufacturing and printing outfit in Nigeria at a time –for several years since 1954? i.e the year he won the Common-wealth Gold
ran the production of an exercise book for Primary School children with an image / avatar of a black fellow doing the high jump on the front cover in EMMA IFEAJUNA STYLE
is enough evidence and pointer to this.

Serena ohbee nm, i really don’t know if APEX MILL is still in business
this far 2021 i.e uptil till this year 2021 from back in 1954.
there was a rumour one time that
the 1989? DEVALUATION of the NAIRA impacted negatively on
their fortunes
just as it did on the fortunes of several manufacturing companies
here in Nigeria at that time. e.g Pfizer, Michelin.

( reference link : https://businessday.ng/banking-finance/article/thomas-wyatt-reports-wider-loss-margin-in-q318-financials/ )

however, i do know for a fact
as i was opportuned to use that exercise book myself
that the exercise book was more or less quarto-size
and had a blue front and back cover.
and the shade of blue to my memory seems to have been more of dark blue than light blue.

in any case, Serena nnmaah nm, that is more or less
the background of the young man EMMA IFEAJUNA
who after graduation from University with a degree in science
joined the Nigeria Army
… at least as far as i can piece it together …

from
● rumours,
● some conjecture
and
● data from wikipedia and some articles written about him on the internet and elsewhere.

[ END OF (2) ]

[ CONTINUED IN (3) ]

By sam

Samuel Ojekwe is essentially just your basic everyday fellow that you see in your neighbourhood while you go about doing your stuff and who, like you, wishes and hopes that the world becomes a better place for all of us.

ACTIVISM ENTERTAINMENT FINANCE/ECONOMY HEALTH LIFE-STYLE/TRENDS SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL SPORTS

yeah. so tell me, whose imagery with the bow and arrow(s) is .. was .. has been .. remains .. the very best i.e the very greatest of and for all time ?

Apr 21, 2025 sam

ACTIVISM ENTERTAINMENT FINANCE/ECONOMY HEALTH LIFE-STYLE/TRENDS SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL

a response to that post by LORRAINE LIONHEART at one of her internet pages asking which one in the linked collage of photos inspired the linked artwork

Apr 17, 2025 sam

ACTIVISM ENTERTAINMENT FINANCE/ECONOMY HEALTH HOUSING/ACCOMODATION LIFE-STYLE/TRENDS SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SOCIO-CULTURAL SPORTS

Lorraine Lionheart omalicha nm, in an earth world where nature and life often times do not give apportionments in equal measure to all, folks really have no option than to put in their best irrespective of any perceived inadequacies in the original apportionments