by Though largely indigenous to Nigeria, the peculiar people of the Igbo tribe can also be found in other African countries like Cameroon Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Igbos are native to the southeastern part of Nigeria and currently occupy about six states. However Ndi Igbo, as they are colloquially referred to, suffered huge casualties and economic setbacks from a combination of the genocide and environmental destruction to their region during the Nigerian Biafran civil war between 1967 to 1970.
When the war ended and survival was parmount, the Igbos were forced as a tribe to emigrate outside their native domain in pursuit of better livelihood and economic enlargement. To date, they are highly entrepreneural and adventurous. They have a presence in various countries around the world . They embrace travelling, resettle and acclamitise to new environments globally quite easily.
There is an old joke about an Igbo man who made a fortune selling sand to Arabs in the desert. The joke highlights the Igbo’s business savviness as their knack for emigration even to the most unlikely places.
Igbos in the diaspora have made a name for themselves in various professions, industries, and political circles around the world. From the generation who witnessed the war to those who came after them, a lot of Igbo people in the diaspora have attained impressive accomplishments in their respective endeavours.Their achievements, influence, and prominence are somewhat understated.
Let Us Unveil Three Brilliant Geniuses Of Igbo Extraction
John Abraham Godson: Just a year after the world celebrated Obama’s groundbreaking achievement of becoming the first black president of the United States of America, another black man made history when he was sworn in as the first black member of Poland’s Parliament. This was none other than John Abraham Godson who emigrated to Poland in the 90s, became a university teacher and was also former charismatic minister running and English school and ministering in the Polish Charismatic Church of God in Christ.
Ths Igbo immigrant to Poland became a member of the Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland) known as Sejm for short from 2010 to 2015. He is a member of the Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe i.e. the Polish People’s Party.
Godson, born in 1970, is an Igbo man and grew up in Umuahia, a town in Abia State Nigeria. He had humble beginnings. His father was an agric teacher at Mbawsi Grammar School, Isiala Ngwa, Abia state. This probably explains John’s aptitude for scholarly pursuits. He however described himself as a rebel when he was a child.
He got back on the straight and narrow path at some point in his life because he went on to be an outstanding scholar and eventually a professor.
His first degree was in Agronomy from Abia State University. The second, was in Human Resource Management and Development, from the Trinity College, Seminary, Indiana. The third was in International Relations, Łódź Academy of International Studies. He also obtained two PhDs in Political Science from the University of Warsaw and another Ph.D. in Management from the University of Łódź. His journey as black immigrant was not always easy. He was beaten in umporvoked, racially motivates attacks twice and has chosen to put these incidents behind him.
John lectures at the Technical University of Szczecin and also at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań. He served as president of the African Institute, Poland. He is married and has four children.
John Abraham Godson has definitely earned his stripes and is one of the Igbo geniuses who accomplished tremendous milestones beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Teri Ijeoma: This brilliant young lady is one of the most successful stock traders in the United States who is also on a brazen mission to teach several people around the world how to do the same. She has a Bachelor’s Degree In Management Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The addition of this young, female, millionaire stock trader to this list might ruffle up a few feathers because she was born in 1984 and raised by her American mother in Texas. However, Teri is very much proud of her Igbo heritage.
Teri’ father an Igbo from Rivers State. He lives with eight of her siblings in Nigeria. On her Youtube channel after being invited to be a guest speaker at the UMU (Umu Igbo Conference) Teri said “It’s the Igbo culture for me. There was a civil war in Nigeria and the Igbo culture was getting attacked with so many of the evils so they fled to all to places all over the world. Here in the States, it’s no surprise that you have lots of Igbos all over the United States and also that they’re thriving and flourishing doctors, lawyers, nurses that are doing so well because we’ve had to rebuild ourselves.” If Teri says she is Igbo, then she definitely is.
From a teaching job in an elementary school that was emotionally draining her, Teri taught herself how to trade stocks so that she could make enough income to quit the rat race and travel the world. Eventually, she hit her goal and started taking trips around the world which got co-travellers, family and friends curious about how she was making money.
After organising a couple of classes, Teri swung into action. She combined her professional teaching skills and her wealth of knowledge about stock trading together. She then proceeded to create an online course teaching people from different financial levels a combination of trading, stock market basics, how to identify good investments and manage risks.
That course fetched her $10 million and she bagged the Grand Champion of Teachable’s 2019 Creator award. As at 2022, ‘Trade and Travel’ stock trading course has sold over $30 million.Teri splurged on a $40 million mansion in Puerto Rico. And he
She still remains very humble and never shies away from sharing her Christian faith which influenced her decision to bag a Masters In Media And Communications from the Dallas Theological Seminary so she could also pursue Christian ministry.
Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu: This unarguably highly successful international basketball player is Igbo from Imo State in Nigeria. His parents came emigrated to the United States in 1980 primarily in pursuit of better education. His dad earned a Ph.D. on scholarship while at Buffalo New York then moved the family to Garland, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, a place that is synonymous with being a breeding ground for many prominent and future NBA stars.
While growing up in the diaspora, Ike says that his parents raised their children to be very aware of their culture. They mixed with other Nigerians in the US, worshipped in a Nigerian church, attended Nigerian parties, and never spoke anything but Igbo at home.
Ike started off playing football because he wanted to be like his brothers but when his height continued increasing, somehow he eventually started to like basketball and want to play it professionally. He stands at his current height of 6 foot 9 inches today. Though he was considered undersized to be a power forward but through sheer power, Ike Diogu was named Pac-10 freshman of the year ad Pac-10 Player of the year in his final season.
Diogu has had an impressive career in basketball from the year 2005 to date. After being drafted into the NBA in 2005 and selected by the Golden State Warriors, Ike played for several basketball teams in the united States including the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings. Then Diogu’s career progressed outside the US when he started playing for international teams ike Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Guangdong Southern Tigers Chinese teams and others like the Leones de Ponce, Shimane Susanoo Magic, Chemidor and Zamalek of Puerto Rico, Japan, Iran and Egypt respectively.
Ike was one of the pioneers of Nigerian basketball. He signed on to the Nigerian national team in 2012 made his debut in the London Olympics. He once mentioned that he would love to start coaching or working in the Nigerian basketball federation after he retires.
Though their team lost to the USA that year, Ike Diobu was proud in 2021 to witness history when Nigeria NT pushed the Team USA on the ropes and became the first African team to beat Americans loaded with NBA stars 90-87.
Conclusion: Many Igbos Are Worthy Of Mention
In this article we have only mentioned three people of Igbo extraction in the diaspora who have attend international prominence through their talents, skills and enterprise.
An attempt to compile a more comprehensive list would take years or even decades.
The dispersal of the indigenes of this resilient tribe, after the Biafra war, was unarguably a painful experience. Half a century later The rise to prominence of not only the generation who witnessed the war, but those after them, is quite pleasing.
Are there any accomplished Igbo people or people you consider to be of Igbo extraction you think should be on this list? Mention their names below or tell us a little about them.
