Who says that Nigeria is not a behemoth on the world stage? Nigeria occupies a space of 923,768 square kilometers, making it the 31st largest country in the world. Known as the 'Giant of Africa' with a population of about 220 million, Nigeria has shown tremendous and robust achievements within the committee of nations, especially in the area of soft power, precisely sports.
The recent demolition of legendary WrestleMania star Brock Lesnar by Nigerian Oba Femi has demonstrated that Nigeria cannot be underestimated when it matters most. On April 19, 2026, at WrestleMania 42 staged at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, a young Nigerian named Oba Femi, real name Isaac Odugbesan, defeated the great Brock Lesnar. It is worth recalling that Lesnar ended the career of The Undertaker after years of an unbeaten record. This was no mean achievement.
With a stadium capacity of 55,256 on the second night of the fight, and a total of 106,073 over the two nights, America came to a standstill. The fight was televised worldwide by Netflix. It was a huge joy seeing thousands of Americans chanting the name of Oba Femi. Even his introduction before he emerged in the ring was enough advertisement for Nigeria. It was announced that Oba Femi was from Nigeria. Nigeria, which is erroneously known for negative statistics, became a new bride of the world. For that period, the banditry and terrorism in Nigeria were forgotten. The negative image of Nigerians in foreign prisons sentenced for drug peddling, money laundering, rape, etc., was forgotten for a moment. The soft power theory by Joseph Nye (1990) was made alive on the night of April 19, 2026. What a glorious joy for Nigeria!
Who Is Oba Femi?
With a billed weight of 140 kg and a height of 6 feet 6 inches, Oba Femi was born on April 22, 1998, in Lagos to the family of Maria and Niyi Odugbesan. In high school, he was involved in field and track events. He attended the University of Lagos, where he won ten shot put medals during the university games in 2016. In 2017, he won a sports scholarship to Middle Tennessee State University in the United States. At this university, he displayed immense sports competitive sagacity, and in 2019, the University of Alabama admitted him, where he studied Studio Arts. His winning streaks continued unabated. He was determined to rule the world. No wonder he was later called the 'Ruler' due to his dominating displays.
It should be stated that going to America was not an easy task. In a recent interview, he made it clear that his mother was his greatest pillar, and after God, his mother was his greatest asset. He also paid homage to his local church, which graciously contributed money for his immigration journey to the United States. Hopefully, these faithful helps dramatically propelled him not to fail. The altruistic role of the church must be highlighted here. Instead of being involved only in biblical and proverbial injunctions about paying tithes and giving generously, the church decided to assist a young man of Femi's caliber, whose future at that time was uncertain. We hope that other churches will uphold this worthy legacy.
It was at Alabama that he signed for the Next in Line program of WWE. For the first time in 2024, he won the NXT North American title. He later defeated Eddy Thorpe and Trick Williams in a triple threat match to win the next NXT championship title. He lost to Ricky Saint in September 2025 but regained the title on December 6, 2025. He never lost it again. It needs to be emphasized once more that defeating Lesnar was a humongous feat. Brock was called the Beast. He was a four-time NCAA champion, former UFC heavyweight champion, and several times world champion. Oba Femi was four years old when Lesnar made his debut in WWE. It was a generational shift.
A Legacy of Nigerian Achievements
It is interesting to note that this is not the first time Nigeria has exhibited this type of salutary achievement. On October 23, 1962, Dick Tiger (Richard Ihetu, 1929-1971) became the middleweight champion of the world by defeating Gene Fulmer. Power Mike (Michael Okpara, 1939-2004) emerged as the world wrestling champion in the 1970s and 1980s. At Okpara's funeral, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo praised Power Mike for bringing 'honour, dignity and recognition' to Nigeria and Africa. We also had Power Uti, whose honour to Nigeria in the field of wrestling was exemplary and intimidating. Tolulope Omogbehim (Omos) showed significant flashes in WWE but later faded out. We commend Oba Femi for this fantastic feat, and we thank all those who supported him to reach the zenith of his profession.
We salute America for providing the veritable ground for a Nigerian to thrive. Indeed, America is a fertile land of opportunities, irrespective of skin color, race, or religion. It should also be clear to America that the majority of Nigerians are hardworking and honest people. Propagating Nigerians as deficient in character and as a 'shithole' is anachronistic and intellectually dwarfish. They should liberalize visa policy for Nigerians; after all, the entire quantum of American people are immigrants. After the 'discovery' of America by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492, missionary immigrants from Europe bombarded America via immigration. They called it the 'New World.'
Finally, as we jubilate over Oba Femi's victory, we urge him to vie for the world title held by Roman Reigns. Thankfully, having retired Brock Lesnar (his abandonment of wrestling shoes and gloves in the ring indicated this), he has challenged Roman Reigns for a world title fight to be staged at the end of the year. We call on Oba Femi to remain on top of his game and to remain worthy in character, eschewing any iota of moral debauchery. We have seen great athletes who fell from their Olympian heights into shame and disgrace. We pray that this malfeasance should not be part of his story. At all times, Nigeria should not be disgraced. All eyes are on him. He should be aware that he carries Nigeria's name and torch of dignity. Conversely, Nigeria should show impactful appreciation by honouring and appreciating him. In Igbo, we say 'Eto Dike na nke omere, omee ozo' (when a warrior is praised for his achievement, he will do more). Oba Femi, thank you for bringing joy and honour to us in this time of 'Armageddonian' sufferings.
