Bloom Hamner

Unforgettable Homecoming for Wisdom '19 and Justice '20



Wisdom Asaboro '19 in his home country of Nigeria earlier this summer

Unforgettable Homecoming for Wisdom '19 and Justice '20

Duo returns to Nigeria for first time; mentors to children

Fighting the jet lag of a 14-hour international flight, Wisdom Asaboro '19 and Justice Ajogbor '20 were finally back on Nigerian soil for the first time as Christ School student-athletes. Nostalgia would become something more for the Greenies during a homecoming that extended from June 20-July 10.

Wisdom and Justice got to mentor over 500 children through a well-attended summer basketball camp and coaches clinic. More importantly, the duo aided in empowering the young people of their native country. Nigeria has a population of 192 million and the median age of citizens is only 18.

"It was a great feeling to help out. Two years ago, I was on the other side of things," Wisdom said. "I had what could be best described as mixed feelings about going home. But I was happy to see my family, see where it all started, and where I grew up."

The trip for Wisdom and Justice was made possible by Access2Success, the foundation which helped place the duo here at Christ School in 2016. The "Hoops for Hope" service initiative was based out of Benin City, Nigeria, which is Justice's home town. Benin City is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from where Wisdom grew up.

"I basically got to see my family every day we were there," Justice said. "It was exciting to go back, and even more exciting to see all the people who were helped by my hard work. Now I can't wait for (the school year) to start. I think it's going to be a pretty good year. I just can't wait for everyone to get here and to hang out with these guys."

Wisdom and Justice are hosted in the Christ School community by the Bridgeford family. Greg Bridgford and his wife, Gina, are both Access2Success board members. Their son, Jack, graduated from Christ School in 2015 and Finn Bridgeford '18 is a senior.

"The young kids in Nigeria look up to Justice and Wisdom so much," Greg Bridgeford said. "They are role models. Those kids know that they were in their place just a couple years ago. Empowerment is so important. Basketball is what draws everyone in, the reason they are there, but the primary mission is to engage these young men and women. The morning session where we had them was all about education, and it was a well thought-out curriculum that taught things such as social media, democracy, civil service, and entrepreneurship. These are topics that we sometimes take for granted here."

Access2Success partnered with several organizations to give the Nigerian people 6,000 pairs of socks, 4,000 notebooks, 2,000 pairs of sandals, and athletic supplies. Each of the 219 kids who attended an after-school academy received a backpack filled with school supplies.

"Justice and Wisdom were there all three weeks and it was truly amazing to watch them empower their peers," Access2Succes founder Andrew Lovedale said.


Justice Ajogbor '20 in his home country of Nigeria this summer