By KATE OBODO

Dr. Gloria Obajimi is the Registrar of the Nigerian Institute of Sports (NIS) and a former Nigerian track and field international. She narrates to Hi groove how St. Theresa College, Oke Ado, Ibadan encouraged her into  sports and also made her  discover her athletic skills and talent. She also reveals  how daily exercises have  contributed to her healthy lifestyle  especially  as a mother and grandmother . Excerpts

Growing up

I came from a humble background. Although my parents were not rich, we appreciated the little they provided for us. Really, growing up was an exciting experience in the sense that; I was the first child of five children of my parents and had the opportunity of taking care of my younger ones-  instructing them on what to do even when our  parents were there.

I made sure things were in order and this  paved way for me into motherhood . I had my primary school education at Our Lady of Fatima, Surulere, Lagos and later gained admission into St. Theresa College, Oke Ado, Ibadan in January 1969 during the Nigerian civil war.

Amongst my peers, I lived above my class especially having read up to standard five and also schooling  outside Lagos as a boarding student. My father was a very loving person who had so much interest in his children. Although he is no more,  I still remember all the morals, modelling and educational up-bringing he gave to  us. He was also a disciplinarian and that shaped my moral upbringing today.

Venturing into sports (athletics)

St. Theresa College, Ibadan helped me to actualize my  potentials as an athlete and I was able to utilise the opportunity given to me. I would say that I was privileged to have attended a boarding school like St Theresa. In that school, there are  lots of sporting facilities unlike it is today in various secondary schools.

*Dr. Gloria Obajimi

It was mandatory for every student to get involved in one sporting activity or the other. Although, I had never done sports before enrolling in the school but, once I got there, I had the opportunity to try my skills in different sporting activities like the net ball, hockey and  tennis. I eventually realised I have talent in athletics.

So,  I joined in the athletics group and found love in the game. It gave me the opportunity to see students from different schools in Ibadan whenever there was any competition, both at national and international levels. At St. Theresa , it was a gathering of different talents with selfless service in the lives of  young men and women.

My father always marvelled at my performances and was always surprised, especially when he read about the wonders of Gloria (his daughter)in the national dailies and often wondered if it was his daughter. Sometimes, when there were competitions, he would bring my younger ones to come and watch me in action.

Every time he sees me perform, he would be grateful to God for bringing me thus far. St Theresa helped me in achieving my dreams of becoming an international athlete, coupled with my determination and hard work.

My daily beauty routine

First, I exercise daily . I don’t wear make ups; I prefer to be natural most of the time. But as a woman, I also do my hair, manicure and pedicure. I use Shea butter (Ori) for my skin; I don’t go for any special cream. Most importantly, I  eat  a lot of fruits like paw-paw, water melon etc.

The secret behind my physical fitness

The secret is sports and exercise. I would say, I’m a very privileged child of the Almighty God, especially as it concerns sports. Sports has been my life and obviously, it would continue to be so because I  can not do without it because of  its importance and attendant benefits.

As a former athlete, I believe  with the talent I have, I should be able to showcase it to others and live  by  examples. I keep fit at all times because I know when a woman attains the age of 50, it is a natural phenomenon that her oestrogen (female hormone) levels are reduced and would get more testosterone (male hormones).

At this stage, a woman starts having problems with the movement of her legs and difficulty in  walking, thereby  tying  bandage around her  knee caps/legs, which is not right. In 10 years time, I still want to see myself very active. I should be able to climb a three storey building without any support  or  somebody holding my hand bag. That’s the reason why I engage in more exercise; it is good for the body.

My kind of dressing

I’m a very simple person and my simplicity reflects in my mode of dressing. I do not like my dressing to attract attention. I like wearing skirt and blouse and skirt suits but when attending any sporting event, I must be on trouser or track suit. I also like simple and comfortable shoes that are of good quality.

For my age, I go for shoes that are not  too high. When it comes to African or traditional attire, my choice is Adire combined with Aso-oke. Being a Yoruba woman, I also like Ankara fabrics. I go for less expensive but quality attires. For instance, my skirt suit is worth about N20,000- 25,000.

For shirts, I like T.M Lewin, Hawes and Curtis which is about N7,000 each. Rather than wear chains of metal gold, I prefer to use the African beads to complement my English wears. I wear good perfume as it is also part of looking good.

My mode of dressing

My mood dictates what I wear.

My kind of car

I like small cars but because of where I live, I go for Jeep because of the condition of the roads in my environment. I also love a simple Bungalow house that I can maintain, with flowers around the house and natural air. Everything about me has a touch of simplicity.

Idea of a good home

A good home is where the husband and wife are at peace with each other and being able to share things in common. They should also share same bedroom instead of living together and having separate rooms, as is the practise in some homes today. My advice for young couples is to make sure they stay with their husband in the same bedroom rather than having a separate room which does not augur well.

Relaxation

I relax by watching programmes on the television but prefer to watch more of sports programmes.

Coping with my male admirers

I have male admirers but as a mother of three children (three boys), I make sure I don’t wear clothes that are revealing because I don’t want to attract or tempt any man. Most importantly, I don’t wear sleeveless in public places because I don’t want a situation where a man would be talking and placing his hands on my arm because I have it exposed. I still have my morals with me and believe that it is only my husband who should be able to touch me closely.

My best meal

I love white rice and fish sauce with vegetables.