Abudu Champions Weightlifting in Schools as Bright Brains Inter-House Sports Breaks New Ground
The campaign for the introduction of weightlifting in secondary school inter-house sports competitions received a major boost after the successful inclusion of the sport at the 2026 Inter-House Sports of Bright Brains Preparatory and Montessori School in Benin City, Edo State.
The colourful event, held on Thursday, March 12, 2026, featured weightlifting for the first time among the competing sports, thanks to the initiative of the school’s Proprietress, Mrs Faith Abudu, a former international weightlifter and respected referee and coach in Nigerian weightlifting circles.
Abudu, who once represented Nigeria on the international stage, believes introducing weightlifting at the secondary school level will help discover and nurture talents early while providing young athletes with opportunities to develop their sporting careers.
A former Secretary of the Nigeria Weightlifting Referees Council, Abudu currently serves as a coach and Technical official with the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation. Her wealth of experience in the sport has strengthened her conviction that grassroots development is the key to Nigeria’s future success in weightlifting.
Abudu herself was discovered at a young age when she was introduced to weightlifting at just 13 years old. That early exposure shaped her career and opened doors to international recognition.
She went on to represent Nigeria at the IWF World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand in 1997, where she gave a commendable performance. Two years later, she reached the peak of her competitive career at the 1999 African Games in South Africa, then known as the All Africa Games, where she competed under her maiden name, Faith Okuonghae. At the said continental showpiece, she delivered an outstanding performance by winning three gold medals in the women’s 63kg category, firmly establishing herself as one of Nigeria’s top weightlifters of her era.
Reflecting on the maiden inclusion of weightlifting at the Bright Brains Inter-House Sports, Abudu described the experience as rewarding and encouraging.
“It was a wonderful experience and the students performed above expectations. This has encouraged me to do more next time,” she said.
According to her, the introduction of the sport did not happen overnight but was the result of deliberate planning and talent discovery.
Knowing the school’s inter-house sports would hold in March, Abudu organised a talent hunt among students in January and February to identify those with potential in weightlifting.
“I knew we would be having our Inter-House Sports in March and so we went for talent hunt to discover students who are good in weightlifting. Being a weightlifting official, it was my dream to ensure that the sport was among the competing sports during the inter-house sports.”
However, the project was not without challenges. With the school lacking the necessary equipment, Abudu reached out to colleagues at the stadium who assisted by providing a training platform and other equipment for the young athletes.
For Abudu, the initiative goes beyond a single school event. She hopes it will inspire other schools across Nigeria to embrace the sport as part of their sporting programmes.
She also believes weightlifting can offer young athletes life-changing opportunities, just as it did for her.
“Being an advocate of introducing weightlifting to tertiary institutions, I also would like the sport to be introduced at secondary schools for the discovery of talent at the grassroots level,” she said.
“I was introduced to the sport when I was 13 years old and I have benefitted immensely from the sport. I became famous and I have travelled to several countries and also got the honour to represent my country in the past, winning laurels in the process.”
