A promising Nigerian athlete Bukola Pereira, who was shot and killed during a robbery incident in Lockland, Ohio, USA, was recently laid to rest in her home town in Ogun State.

The woman who discovered, mentored and sponsored the athlete’s trip to the United States to study and pursue her athletics career, Esther Obiekwe popularly known as ‘Joyrunner’ said she is still in pain over the death of the young Bukky as she was fondly called by her peers.

Q: Many Nigerians recently learnt of Bukky’s passing. When the news broke, several people in the athletics community immediately mentioned your name because some recollected the role you played in her journey. For those who don’t know the story…Who was Bukky?

Bukky was much more than an athlete. She became part of my family. I first met her as a sixteen-year-old with extraordinary talent, quiet determination and very limited opportunities. She came from a family of modest means on Lagos Island, but every time she ran, her gift was unmistakable. It was obvious that if the right doors opened, her life could be different.

Q: How did you first meet Bukky?
Back then, there used to be community races in Oshodi.

I was already part of the running community. At the time, marathon running wasn’t popular in Nigeria. Very few people even understood what marathon running was.

I had already begun making a name for myself through long-distance running, and that community became how I met Coach
James Lafferty, an American coach living and working as CEO in Lagos. He supported the then Oshodi Local government Chairman to organise the monthly 12km race. Races were uncommon so as runners when we saw one we supported.

One day at one of those Oshodi races…there was this young girl. She was almost running barefoot.
And she beat almost everybody.

Coach James immediately saw what many people would have overlooked.
Raw talent.

Q: What did that commitment involve?

Like I mentioned; James was preparing to leave Nigeria. He believed Bukky deserved an opportunity beyond Nigeria. He looked at me and said,

“Esther, can you take care of the Lagos side while I try to speak to colleges in America? I said yes.

It meant; Bukky moved into my home. I was living in a modest apartment with my nieces, but we made room for her. We worked on much more than athletics. She attended extra lessons, had tutors, improved her communication skills, studied for examinations, trained consistently and gradually grew in confidence. I wanted her to be prepared not only to run, but to thrive wherever life took her.

Q: What were the hardest moments?

The SAT examinations were among the hardest. She failed more than once, and I remember feeling disappointed because I could already see the future that awaited her if she succeeded.

We refused to give up. We kept studying, praying and believing until she passed. I was so happy when she finally passed SAT who would think I won a lottery. I smiled I hugged her, we went out to a restaurant called sweet sensation, my God I took pictures, that one I was holding her from behind was one of the pictures. That’s me. I was doing it for joy? There was no Instagram or TikTok then.

Years later, her husband found a diary in which she had written, ‘Today I finally put a smile on Esther’s face.’ That remains one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. She did put a smile on my face.

Q: Some people might wonder why you invested so much in someone who wasn’t related to you?

Yes, even my late sister then didn’t fully understand it especially as my home then was not the most elaborate. But the answer is simple, talent was discovered and talent has no tribe. Potential has no language. Dreams do not belong to one family or one ethnicity. I saw a gifted young girl, and God gave me the privilege of walking alongside her journey. I love running and people called me the JoyRunner.

I was never alone either. Coach James believed in her. Schools opened doors. Friends supported her. Many people became part of her story.

Q: How did she eventually get to America?

After passing her examinations, Coach James helped secure opportunities with American colleges. I walked with Bukky through the process, from training sessions to her visa interview. Watching her board that flight in 2014 remains one of the proudest moments of my life.

Q: Did the journey become easier after that?

Not at all. She faced injuries, financial challenges and immigration uncertainties. Whenever she called, I helped however I could. Sometimes it meant encouragement. Sometimes it meant sending money from Nigeria. We simply kept believing that her story was still being written.

Q: Wow, you did this for a stranger, I am sure your kids run. Are they runners? Sorry are you married? Do you have children?

Hahahahaha, that will be story for another day. Today is about my dear Bukky.

Q: Looking back today, what do you believe Bukky’s legacy is?

Her legacy is not only in races won. It is in resilience, courage and the reminder that one act of kindness can change an entire life. Sometimes God allows us to fulfil our own dreams by helping someone else fulfil theirs.

Beyond the finish line, Bukky’s story is really about people who chose compassion over convenience. It is about mentors who saw possibility before success was visible.

It is about faith that refused to give up, and grace that carried a young athlete from Lagos to a life that touched many others. May her memory continue to inspire us to notice potential, invest in people and believe that one life can change another.