A Festival of Speed, Strength, and School Pride

The NUGA Games in Jos brought together student athletes from universities across Nigeria. It was more than just a tournament. It was a meeting of ambition, talent, and real emotion. Every lane, track, and field held pressure, expectations, and the hopes of whole campuses. This year’s competition, held from November 5th to 16th, 2025, brought new excitement and anticipation.

OAU’s Tradition of Balanced Excellence

Obafemi Awolowo University is known for combining academic excellence with sporting achievement. This focus is summed up by the university’s motto: Brains and Brawn in Harmony. Academic success is important, but sports also play a big role in OAU’s culture of achievement.

From inter-faculty competitions to national university tournaments, OAU consistently invests in sport. The campus culture treats athletic success as a normal extension of student life.

Over the years, OAU has produced powerful sprinters, jumpers, throwers, and team-sport heroes. Team OAU’s performance at the 2023 NUGA Games, where they won 14 medals, 12 gold and two bronze, remains a point of pride for alumni. These victories and the high hopes before Jos are still talked about. After the event, an alumnus watched the final sprint on their phone in a busy campus café. When the athlete crossed the finish line, the café erupted in cheers, showing the excitement felt across the university.

Instead, the OAU delegation travelled with clear intent and focused preparation. The goal was more than participation; the team aimed for podium finishes and evident dominance. Winning 26 medals proved that their ambition matched their results.

The Road to Jos: Trials, Training, and Tough Sacrifices

Behind every medal stood months of quiet, disciplined preparation on the Ife campus.

Athletes trained on the track before sunrise while most students still slept peacefully.

In the evenings, athletes finished with strength training, stretching, and advice from their coaches. At the same time, they still had to keep up with lectures, assignments, and tests during this busy period.

First Impressions of Jos: New Ground, Same Hunger

The 27th NUGA Games in Jos brought together student athletes from many universities. The streets were busy, banners and buses filled the area, and teams arrived in bright jerseys. For some OAU athletes, it was their first visit to northern Nigeria. One said, “The landscape is so different from Ife. It’s exciting and a bit intimidating, but the city’s energy motivates us to compete.”

Athletes faced new weather conditions, altitude, and unfamiliar tracks, all of which required them to adjust quickly. The 27th Nigerian Universities Games Association event in Jos featured intense competition, with strong performances from well-prepared teams.

OAU Athletes locked in, studied their events, and paid close attention to warm-up routines.

The first few days focused on settling, light training, and mental readiness. Soon after, the races began, starting stories that would be shared back in Ife.

Track Events, Where Speed Met Strategy

Track events formed the heart of OAU’s medal charge in Jos.

From sprints to middle-distance races, the university’s athletes showed control and composure. Every race start brought pressure, but also a chance to make history for themselves and the university. In the sprints, OAU athletes lined up against some of the country’s fastest students.

Explosive starts, disciplined drive phases, and strong finishes produced vital podium places. Even when athletes narrowly missed gold, they often converted chances into silver or bronze. These efforts helped the team win more medals, eventually reaching 17 bronze medals. Middle-distance races tested endurance, tactics, and mental toughness under crowd noise. OAU runners timed their kicks carefully and avoided unnecessary early battles.

Their efforts earned crucial silver and bronze medals in events featuring strong competition. Two gold medals stood out as special rewards for disciplined execution.

Those wins changed nervous silence into loud celebrations at the OAU camp. They also demonstrated the potential of the current athletic program.

Breaking Down the Medal Haul: 2 Gold, 7 Silver, 17 Bronze

Gold Medals 🥇

Boxing – Fathia (Gold)

Fathia controlled every round, landed clearer punches, and powered her way to a brilliant boxing gold.

Long Jump – OJ (Gold)

OJ attacked the board with confidence, hit a clean take-off, and soared to first place.

Silver Medals 🥈

Boxing – Shoga (Silver)

Shoga boxed with discipline, sharp counters, and heart, battling through tough rounds to reach the final.

Squash Mixed Doubles – Silver

The mixed doubles pair combined quick reflexes and good communication, outlasting opponents to secure second place.

Squash Doubles – Silver

OAU’s doubles team covered the court intelligently, turning long rallies into points and finishing as runners-up.

Chess (Board) – Janet (Silver)

Janet stayed calm under pressure, calculated precisely, and turned difficult positions into results on the top boards.

Chess (Blitz) – Victoria (Silver)

Victoria handled the clock and chaos of blitz play, finding fast, accurate moves to claim silver.

Swimming (F) 200m Breaststroke – Pepper (Silver)

Pepper controlled her stroke tempo over four laps, finishing strongly to touch the wall in second place.

Bronze Medals 🥉

Volleyball (Male) – Bronze

The men’s team served aggressively, blocked bravely, and fought through pressure matches to earn third place.

Chess (Board) – Victoria (Bronze)

In classical play, Victoria combined patience and sharp tactics to add another podium finish for OAU.

Squash Singles – Richard (Bronze)

Richard chased every ball, forced errors from opponents, and battled into the medal positions in singles.

Table Tennis (F) Team – Bronze

The women’s team used quick footwork and tight spins to grind out tough wins and secure bronze.

Scrabble (M) Team – Bronze

OAU’s scrabble team managed tiles smartly, controlled premium squares, and finished among the top contenders.

Women’s 4x400m Relay – Bronze

Four athletes smoothly shared the baton, held position under pressure, and closed hard to place third.

Women’s 5000m – Bronze

OAU’s distance runner paced the race smartly, stayed with the lead group, and kicked for bronze.

Taekwondo -74kg – Israel (Bronze)

Israel showed courage and sharp kicking technique, winning crucial bouts to stand on the podium.

Taekwondo -54kg – Faridah (Bronze)

Faridah used quick movement and disciplined defence, turning tight fights into a deserved bronze medal.

Swimming Brilliance: Shalom and Pepper 🥉

Shalom – Multiple Bronze Medals

• 100m Butterfly
• 200m Freestyle
• 200m Individual Medley
• 200m Butterfly
• 50m Butterfly
• 100m Freestyle

Shalom raced across different strokes and distances, handled quick turnarounds, and kept finishing inside the top three.

Pepper – Additional Breaststroke Bronzes

• 100m Breaststroke
• 50m Breaststroke

Alongside her silver, Pepper added two more podiums, confirming her as a dependable breaststroke specialist.

The overall medal count reflects a balanced, high-performance environment that values both top achievements and strong team depth.

Champions stand at the front, but a strong supporting cast surrounds them closely.