He was barely old enough to speak in full sentences. Just over two years old, still figuring out the world, still learning words, when Aramide Makinde saw something at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, that would change the course of his young life forever.

It was a group of children in crisp white uniforms, moving with purpose and precision through the stances and strikes of karate. Makinde, out that day with his parents simply to enjoy the open air and fresh breeze, froze. He stuttered — the way two-year-olds do when they want something so badly the words won’t come fast enough. But the message was unmistakable. He wanted in.

“We came around to the National Stadium to just enjoy the fresh breeze,” recalls his mother, Dr Elizabeth Makinde. “And he just saw the people wearing white. He was stuttering. He was young at the time, just a little over two years old, and he said he wanted it.”

Eight years later, on a Saturday morning at the same National Stadium, that little boy stood before his peers, coaches, family and God — and received Nigeria’s most historic karate black belt. Makinde, then 10, became the youngest person ever to earn a black belt in karate in Nigeria. It is a record that may stand for decades.

Black belts are not given. They are earned through years of repetition, discipline, failure, and perseverance that most adults could not endure, let alone a child. Makinde’s journey from curious toddler to history-maker was neither straight nor easy.

He trained under Coach Uchenna Duru at New Arrival Martial Arts Academy, located at the very National Stadium where his love for the sport was first born. Duru, a 4th Dan black belt, began working with Makinde when the boy was just two, and says he recognised something immediately in his young student.

When I saw him the first time, I remembered one adage — if you want to go far, wake up early. I saw him as someone who wakes up early, and who wants to go far,” the coach told our correspondent.

For eight years, through school terms and school holidays, through rain and heat, through aching muscles and early mornings, Makinde showed up. Every Saturday. Every Sunday. Every holiday period. He ran countless laps — what he describes as his saddest moments in the sport, as he said, “The toughest periods when we have to run countless times around the National Stadium as exercise.”

But he kept going.

In 2020, when he was first covered by PUNCH Sports Extra, he was a five-year-old orange belt with a mischievous confidence that belied his size. Even then, his mastery of the front and back stance, straight punching, and the front kick was drawing passers-by who would stop at the National Stadium just to watch him train.

“I like karate as a sport because it is something that I can use to defend myself in times of danger. I even practice it in school when we are observing our sports break. I love karate, and I hope to win more medals in it,” Makinde had said at five.

That same boy now speaks with the quiet certainty of someone who has already proved something to the world.

“Becoming the youngest black belt holder in Nigeria is the best moment of my karate journey,” he says.

“I worked so hard to get here and earn this.”

The Family

Behind every young athlete is a network of sacrifice — and Makinde’s parents have given generously of their time, money, and energy since day one. His mother, Dr Makinde, has not missed a single training season.

“My mummy always takes me to the dojo every Saturday and Sunday for practice,” Makinde says simply. He adds that his role models in life are his parents, and his role model in sport is his Shian — his coach.

His father, Adedayo Makinde, was present at the black belt ceremony and could barely contain his pride.

“I am very proud of him, and today I’m one of the happiest fathers,” he said.

“Money cannot buy this; it takes a lot of sacrifice and doggedness to get to this point.”

Dr Elizabeth adds, “For me, this is hard work that paid off. A journey of resilience, tenacity, doggedness.”

The family’s commitment extended to a second child. Aramide’s younger brother Adedolapo, who started karate at four, earned his own green belt at the same grading ceremony — at just seven years old. The Makinde household, it seems, breathes karate.

Makinde’s godmother, Magdalene Osumah, perhaps summed up the achievement most clearly, telling PUNCH Sports Extra, “One thing with him is he has been so consistent. He has never complained one day about coming to karate practice.

“From time to time, he’s always meeting up with all the milestones. I see him on the global stage definitely.”

School, Makinde says, has never clashed with karate. Weekdays are for the classroom; weekends and holidays belong to the dojo. He has found a rhythm — and a dream to match it.

“I want to become a renowned karate legend and be in the history books,” he told our correspondent with confidence.

In a sense, he is already in them. The first chapter is written. The record already belongs to him. And Coach Duru, who has watched this boy grow from a two-year-old with wide eyes to a black belt in warrior’s stillness, is certain there is far more to come.

“He is really a karate bomb ready to explode. Nigeria should watch out for him. The whole world will hear about him,” the coach told PUNCH Sports Extra.

For now, Makinde holds a black belt that no Nigerian child has ever held before him. It is, as his coach promises, only the beginning. (The PUNCH)

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