It is a common saying in this part of world that when God wants to help a person, he uses someone. Since He cannot come down to carry out such acts of benevolence, God usually inspires people with the tendency to do good to act as an earthly stand-in to execute the plans He wants for that intended beneficiary.
The success story of Blessing Oborodudu is a fairy tale in itself. Looking at how far this Bayelsan born athlete rose from the ashes of obscurity to worldwide acclaim, it is impossible not to ask how she could have achieved so much in a sport so demanding as wrestling.
Yet, in more than a decade from the day she was discovered as a mere teenager up to now, she has done enough to etch her name on the sport, as well as inspired a new generation of youths who are now taking to the sport in their droves.
Her journey into wrestling happened one day -- a day that was supposed to be just any other day but turned out a red-letter one -- when the Bayelsa State Sports Council officials visited her school, the St Jude's Girls Secondary School, Amarata.
They were having their annual inter-house sports and the intention for the officials was to watch the events and see if they could identify potential talents that could be groomed by the state for the future.
What made this particular visit different, however, was that a certain Daniel Igali, an accomplished wrestler of world class standard who won gold for Canada in the 1999 World Wrestling Championships and gold in the Sydney 2000 Olympics was in that delegation.
He was with team as they sat to watch the events on that day.
Then, he would soon spot a young Blessing Oborodudu who came to wrestle for her house during one of the wrestling events and she instantly made an impact.
"Blessing Oborodudu had instantly caught my eyes when I watched her wrestle," Igali would recall in a recent interview.
"She was raw. She had no finesse but I could see strength and a never-say-die spirit in her. To me, they were vital ingredients an athlete needed in order to excel. So, I took interest in her and decided to encourage her to take up the sport," Igali revealed.
Oborodudu liked the idea of being trained by one of Bayelsa's most heralded athlete with such global recognition as Daniel Igali. But there was a snag. Her brother -- DSP Andrew Allison Oborodudu, now deceased -- was not disposed to her taking to any sport, least of all, wrestling.
The late senior police officer's refusal would reach the ears of Igali who, with his experienced eyes knew a talent like Blessing Oborodudu could be lost forever if urgent steps were not taken to intervene.
The police officer wanted his younger sister to study and become a graduate, and not a wrestler. It took the visit from Igali to convince him to change his mind and give his blessings.
That began the rise of Oborodudu who has since gone on to conquer Africa and the world.
She has won gold in 12 African Wrestling Championships, and similar laurels in other big time international championships too numerous to mention.
Oborodudu, it was, who emerged the only athlete to win for Nigeria a silver medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
She never fails to give honour to whom it is due anytime she looks back at her humble beginnings.
"I doubt that I would have achieved all that I achieved today in wrestling if not for Daniel Igali. He discovered me. He didn't just discover me, he has played the role of mentor and brother to me ever since, encouraging me, supporting me every step of the way.
"Because of Igali, I am a champion, one that the younger ones now also look up to. Today, I live in a house of my own. I am comfortable. Through his support, I went to the university, graduated and I am a high level officer in the Bayelsa State Sports Council.
"Because of Igali, my career was not abruptly cut short on account of injuries. On several occasions he has ensured I am flown overseas for proper medical care any time I was injured. This gesture he has also repeatedly extended to some of my other colleagues like Amas Daniel, Odunayo Adekuoroye, Hellen Okus, Happiness Burutu, and others who have copped career-threatening injuries in the past.
"I will forever be indebted to Daniel Igali for how far he has led me in the sport. As far as I am concerned, he remains the best sports federation president in Nigeria today in terms of how he cares for his athletes, and how he supports them to be the better versions of themselves," she says.
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