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Draft:Skateboarding In Nigeria

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  • Comment: Instagram, Facebook, and the Daily Mail are not reliable sources TNM101 (in solidarity · chat) 06:58, 14 August 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: I'm not convinced this doesn't have machine writing, but either way the NPOV issues in this article need to be addressed. Sulfurboy (talk) 19:21, 13 August 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Please answer the question about AI. Did you use AI to write this article or not? grapesurgeon (talk) 09:24, 13 August 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: Were any AI tools (such as ChatGPT) used in writing this draft? LittlePuppers (talk) 03:11, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

Skateboarding In Nigeria

Skateboarding In Nigeria
Nigerian Pro Skater Fahd Bello
Fahd Bello skateboarding in Lagos
Governing bodyRoller Sports Federation Of Nigeria ( RSFN)

Over the past decade skateboarding has grown in Nigeria from a small underground scene, to a rapidly growing sport in major Nigerian cities, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.  The Lagos skate scene in particular has spawned new streetwear brands, the construction of Nigeria’s first concrete skate park, and even a push for the Nigeria to be represented in skateboarding at the LA28 Olympic Games having already had Nigerian representation at 2026 World Skate Olympic qualifiers.[1]

Skateboarding in Nigeria started in the early 2010s as a very underground scene, of people skating at street spots in the areas surrounding National Stadium in the Surulere area of Lagos, as well as building of DIY ramps, rails, and other skate obstacles for social media posts.

WAF Skatepark + Planned Abuja Skatepark

[edit]

In March of 2024 Nigeria opened its first skatepark, The WAF Skatepark located on the grounds of the historic Freedom Park on Lagos Island. Designed by architectural firm Studio Contra, it is the first ever concrete park built in Nigeria. (There is another prefab wood park in Lagos that is mainly used for BMX riding). WAF Skatepark often hosts community events and local skateboard contests.[2][3]

Go Skate NG is currently raising funds to build the countries second skatepark, this time in the nations capital of Abuja.[4]

RSFN Team Nigeria Skateboarding Logo

Team Nigeria Skateboarding + The LA28 Olympics

[edit]

The Roller Sports Federation of Nigeria (RSFN)'s Team Nigeria skateboarding has a team of Nigerian skaters vying for spots at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which will be the third Olympic Games to feature skateboarding. With the help of a financial donation by SHAPE Skateboard Foundation[5] (a US based 501c3 geared towards promoting skateboarding in Africa), RSFN was able to become an official World Skate recognized federation.[6] In June 2026 Imoh Ekasi Otu became the first Nigerian to compete at World Skate Olympic Qualifiers competing in Men’s Street at the World Skate Rome.[7] RSFN youth team member Joseph "Sky Walker" Omojuwa won first place at the inaugural Francophone Skate Union Skateboarding Championship held in Cotonou, Benin, in January 2026.

RSFN's women's park athlete Samantha Scarlette

The current RSFN Team Nigeria Skateboarding roster is comprised of Men's Street: Imoh Ekasi-Otu,[8] [9][10] Henry Okwubausi,[11][12] and Fahd Bello.[13][14] Women's Park: Samantha Scarlette (Ilechuku).[15][16][17] [18][19] Youth Team: Joseph "Sky Walker" Omojuwa[20][21] and Ayo Aderibgbe.[22]

Female Skateboarders in Nigeria

[edit]

The Nigerian skate scene is inclusive of female skaters.[23] The female skate scene has been spread through social media and inclusive community events at local spots like the National Stadium and WAF Park hosted by collectives such as Blessing Ewona's Den City[24] [25]and Joanna "Yaya" Ogun of international organization GRLSWIRL. [26] The Roller Sports Federation of Nigeria currently has Samantha Scarlette as the Women's Park competitor on their Olympic hopeful roster.

Nigerian Skateboard Brands

[edit]

Due to the high import export expenses international brand skateboard products are hard to source in Nigeria, leading to growth of Nigerian manufactured skate brands.

Nigeria's first professional skateboarder Henry Okwubuasi outside of National Stadium in Lagos

WAFFLESNCREAM (commonly stylized as waf. or WAF) was founded by Jomi Marcus-Bello, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, and KC Obijiakwu, in 2008 in Leeds, UK. It relocated to Lagos, Nigeria, in the 2010s where it became the nations first skateboard brand. WAF has provided the funding for the nations only skatepark. In 2021 WAF released a skate video called Glory (2021), which introduced the world to Henry Okwubuasi, the brand’s first professional skater.[27] WAF has since issued pro models to other Nigerian pro skaters such as Fahd Bello.[28][29]

WAF has done significant collaborations with notable global brands such as Coca-Cola[30][31][32] and most recently Adidas. In July 2026, WAF teamed up with Adidas for a sneaker collab with an ad campaign featuring Fahd Bello and local Lagos skater Joseph "Sky Walker" Omojuwa.[33][34] [35][36][37][38][39]

A Bear Company ( founded by Henry Okwubuasi after leaving WAF ) and PITH Africa[40] are just a few of the other smaller emerging skateboard streetwear brands to come out of Lagos.

Music

[edit]

In November 2024 Spotify Africa launched its "Skate Noise Lagos" promotional campaign. The campaign featured Nigerian pro skateboarders Fahd Bello and Henry Okwubuasi skateboarding through the streets of Lagos while the song "Skating" by Nigerian music artist Asake (from his album Lungu Boy), plays in the background. The song's chorus features the lyrics: "Skating is a lifestyle, skating skating skating, skating is a part of me."[41][42][43][44][45][46]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Lizza, Alice (2026-07-13). "As It Was: WST World Cup Rome 2026 In Retrospect". www.worldskate.org. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  2. ↑ "Fahd Bello Is the WAFFLESNCREAM Pro Skater Helping Create a Better Future for the Youth of Today". Hypebeast. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  3. ↑ "Straight-Up Portraits of Nigerian Skaters". Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  4. ↑ "Go Skate NG: Help us build a skatepark in Abuja". pay.squadco.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  5. ↑ "About". SHAPE. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  6. ↑ "National Federations". www.worldskate.org. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  7. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  8. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Imoh Ekasi Otu Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  9. ↑ "Imoh Ekasi-Otu from VA USA Bio and Photos". The Boardr. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  10. ↑ "SKate Jawn x SHAPE - SHAPE DC TO NAIJA TOUR | SkateVideoSite". www.skatevideosite.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  11. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Henry Okwubuasi Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  12. ↑ "HENRY OKWUBUASI – "GLORY"". Pocket Skateboard Magazine. 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  13. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Fahdo Bello Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  14. ↑ "Fahdo Bello featured in Vogue Australia". Vogue Australia. August 28th 2020. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Samantha Scarlette Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  16. ↑ "Samantha Scarlette from NY USA Bio and Photos". The Boardr. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  17. ↑ "Fifa World Cup "Welcome To My Block" Commercial on Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  18. ↑ "Fifa World Cup Los Angeles Merchandise Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  19. ↑ "Courtney Stodden parties with musician Samantha Scarlette". Daily Mail UK. March 22 2024. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ↑ "DAILY SKATE CLIPS: LAGOS". SkateboardStickers.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  21. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Joseph Skywalker Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  22. ↑ "Instagram Team Nigeria Skateboarding Ayo Aderibigbe Official Team Profile". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  23. ↑ "Skateboarding Against the Norm in Nigeria With Blessing Ewona and Dencity". Hypebae. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  24. ↑ Tayo, Stephen; Brinkhurst-Cuff, Charlie (2023-02-02). "In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  25. ↑ SSENSE (2023-02-16). "How Nigeria's First and Only Women's Skate Collective Defied the Opposition". ssense. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  26. ↑ "Lagos (Nigeria) Pop up!". GRLSWIRL. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  27. ↑ "waf. – Glory". Free Skate Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  28. ↑ "adidas Taps Lagos Skate Collective waf. for Its New Superstar". Hypebae. 2026-07-23. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  29. ↑ "Africa's Streetwear Scene Is Having a Moment". The Business of Fashion. 2026-08-11. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  30. ↑ "WAFFLESNCREAM CRACKS OPEN A COLD ONE WITH COCA-COLA - Simon Says Drip". 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  31. ↑ "New Coca-Cola ® Creations Wozzaah Unleashes the Taste of Africa's Spirit and Creativity Through Culture-Packed Experiences". Coca-Cola. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  32. ↑ "New Coca-Cola ® Creations Wozzaah Unleashes the Taste of Africa's Spirit and Creativity Through Culture-Packed Experiences". Coca-Cola. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  33. ↑ "adidas & WAF.'s Salmon Shredder Puts Nigerian Skate History on Feet". Highsnobiety. 2026-07-29. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  34. ↑ "Deeds Magazine - waf. Is the First African Skate Community to Design the Adidas Superstar ADV". www.deedsmag.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  35. ↑ Hendriksz, Vivian (2026-07-23). "Adidas partners with African Skate Community Waf. for Superstar ADV". FashionUnited. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  36. ↑ Bugeja-Drinkell, Sebastian. "waf. Are the First Nigerian Brand to Collaborate With adidas - Releases". www.sneakerfreaker.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  37. ↑ Rave, Style (2026-07-24). "waf. Becomes the First African Skate Community to Collaborate on the adidas Superstar ADV". Style Rave | The Ultimate Style Guide. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  38. ↑ Djiadjei, Colombe (2026-07-23). "waf. x Adidas Superstar ADV : quand Lagos écrit une nouvelle page de l'histoire du skate africain". Elle Afrique Francophone (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  39. ↑ "WAF. SKATEPARK". nataal.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  40. ↑ "Pith Africa". www.pithafrica.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  41. ↑ Mubarak, Ganiyu (2024-11-12). "Spotify, Asake ignite Nigeria's skateboarding scene with Skate Noise playlist takeover |". The Eagle Online. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  42. ↑ Charts, TurnTable (2024-11-20). "Skateboarding and Music: Spotify's Skate Noise Electrifies Lagos". TurnTable Charts. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  43. ↑ 65 reactions | The vibes were fire and the Skate Noise was loud. 🔥🛹 Lagos we had the best time bringing music and skate culture together with you, let’s do it again soon. 👏🏾 | Spotify Africa. Retrieved 2026-08-13 – via www.facebook.com.
  44. ↑ Skate Noise Lagos. Retrieved 2026-08-13 – via vimeo.com.
  45. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  46. ↑ Adewole, Segun (2024-11-23). "Skateboarding x Music: Spotify's Skate Noise Electrifies Lagos". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
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