Nigeria is full of talented and gifted people. But do
we really remember our cultural heritage? Naij.com editors decided to
remind you about some of the outstanding Nigerians who were first in
their area.
Here are the 7 Nigerian pioneers:
1. Ahmet Ali Çelikten
He was the first black pilot in the aviation history. He was one of
only two black pilots in the World War I. His grandmother came from
Bornu (now Borno State in Nigeria) to the Ottoman Empire as a slave.
Ahmet was born in 1883 in İzmir, in the Aidin Vilayet of the Ottoman
Empire. He aimed to become a naval sailor and entered the Naval
Technical School named Haddehâne Mektebi (literally “School of the
Blooming Mill”) in 1904. In 1908, he graduated from the school as a
First Lieutenant. Then he joined the aviation courses in the Naval
Flight School (Deniz Tayyare Mektebi) that was formed at Yeşilköy on
June 25, 1914.
2. Jonathan Adagogo Green
He was the first professional photographer of Nigerian origin. Green
was the chief photographer for the British as they lay the groundwork
for colonization of Nigeria. He also took pictures of his own Ijo
peoples’ struggle to maintain control of their land and to preserve
their cultural identity. While most of the British collections of his
photographs are now in archives, Green’s photographs live on among the
Ijo who continually reprint and reuse them to reconstruct and celebrate
their cultural traditions.
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3. Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna
He was a Nigerian army major and high jumper. He became the first
person from Africa to win a gold medal at an international sports event.
He won the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. His winning mark
and personal best of 6 ft 8 inches (2.03 m) was a games record and a
British Empire record at the time. Emmanuel was an Igbo from Onitsha.
Apart from sport achievements, he was also was a science graduate
University College of Ibadan and became involved in politics, later
joining the military.
4. Tesilimi Olawale “Teslim” Balogun
Balogun was the first African to qualify as a professional coach. He
was a coach for Nigeria at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He played at both
professional and international levels as a striker. The Teslim Balogun
Stadium in the Nigerian city of Lagos is named in his honour. The Teslim
Balogun Foundation was founded after his death to assist the families
of Nigerian ex-international footballers who may have fallen on hard
times.
5. Rosalind Balogun
She was a first Miss Nigeria to participate in the Miss World contest
in 1967. There were four contestants from Africa: Nigeria, Ghana,
Tanzania and Uganda.
READ ALSO: 5 Most Beautiful Nigerian Actresses
6. Wole Soyinka
He is a Nigerian playwright and poet. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel
Prize in Literature, the first African to be so honored. Soyinka has
strongly criticised many Nigerian military dictators, especially late
General Sanni Abacha, as well as other political tyrannies. Wole Soyinka
is among contemporary Africa’s greatest writers. He is also one of the
continent’s most imaginative advocates of native culture and of the
humane social order it embodies.
7. Nnamdi Azikiwe
Chief Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first President of Nigeria from
1963 to 1966, holding the presidency throughout the Nigerian First
Republic. This man was one of the fundamentalists of modern Nigerian
nationalism.
READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/368191-7-nigerian-pioneers-made-nation-proud.htmlHere are the 7 Nigerian pioneers:
1. Ahmet Ali Çelikten
Ahmet Ali Çelikten
2. Jonathan Adagogo Green
Jonathan Adagogo Green
3. Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna
Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna
4. Tesilimi Olawale “Teslim” Balogun
Tesilimi Olawale “Teslim” Balogun
5. Rosalind Balogun
Four
African Beauty Queens Pose At Their London Hotel Before The 1967 Miss
World Beauty Contest. From Left To Right: Teresa Shayo, Miss Tanzania;
Rosemary Salmon, Miss Uganda; Rosalind Balogun, Miss Nigeria And Araba
Vroon, Miss Ghana. Photo: Leonard Burt
READ ALSO: 5 Most Beautiful Nigerian Actresses
6. Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole “Wole” Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright and poet
7. Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe
