A summary of lecture delivered by Ed Emeka Keazor at the School of Oriental and African Studies: World Igbo Conference. May 2014. Spanning over 1000 years of History and celebrating pioneers such as the 9th Century Priest King, through the first Igbo Legislators of the 1920's, on to the modern day Renaissance stars of global Arts.

1. 30 IGBO PIONEERS IN HISTORY

2. HOW AND WHY?!?

3. 30?!?
…..NOT ENOUGH TIME, I COULD BE HERE ALL DAY

4. IGBO?!?

5. PIONEERS?
PRIMACY IN:
• DEVELOPING NEW IDEAS- AND:
• ACHIEVEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL POSITIVE
OUTCOMES IN A FIELD OF ENDEAVOUR;

6. THE LIST

7. EZE NRI IFIKUANIM

8. • Priest King of the ancient Nri kingdom of Igboland, said to be the cradle Of Igbo
civilisation c.1000 AD
• A highly intelligent, scholarly King, who is said to have traded with the Kingdoms
Of the Middle-East and Asia. The source of his power being benevolence,
knowledge and religious knowledge;
• Grave was believed to have been unearthed by Archaeologist Thurston Shaw,
who discovered a burial Chamber with remains adorned in robes, bronze crown,
sceptre, staff and breast-Plates adorned with glass beads, which are said to
have been obtainable at the time from Egypt.
• The Igbo-Ukwu bronzes and the Nsude Pyramids are said by Historians to be
Religious artefacts and symbols of the Nri Kingdom.
• He instituted the Igbo Market days and introduced Yam as staple crop of
the Igbo’s.

9. AFRICANUS HORTON

10. • Horton was born in Sierra Leone of Igbo parentage. He and
Broughton Davies were selected by the Army, for Medical training,
qualifying from Kings College and Edinburgh in 1858/1859. Enlisted
as an Assistant-Surgeon in 1859.
• He practised in Ghana and then Sierra Leone, promoted Surgeon-
Major in 1875 and retired in 1881. He and Davies were the 1st
Nigerian Doctors and the 1st African Army Officers.
• He wrote one of the first African nationalist texts- “In defence of the
African”.
• He established and managed a Bank in Sierra Leone after his
retirement.

12. REVEREND JOHN C TAYLOR

13. • Born c 1815 in Sierra Leone of Igbo repatriate parents. He trained as
a School-teacher at the Fourah Bay College and taught for 16 years.
• He was ordained a Priest on 8 June 1856, alongside seven other
Cathechists by Bishop Weeks.He was taken by Bishop Crowther to
Igbo-land in 1857, to set up a permanent Mission at Onitsha.
• He was hugely influential in winning converts, by his pragmatic,
compassionate Ministry.
• He translated Hymns and Prayer into Igbo, before returning to
Sierra Leone in 1868.
• The next Igbo-man to be ordained was Reverend George
Anyaegbunam on February 13 1898

14. ISAAC MBA

15. ISAAC MBA
Born in 1860 at Onitsha he was admitted to Fourah Bay College, Freetown Sierra Leone,
In 1880 (alongside Ephraim Agha) graduating in 1882- the first Igbo’s to achieve this.
He joined the CMS Mission and assisted Archdeacon Johnson, in translating two of the
four gospels into Igbo language in 1889. (Mbajekwe).
An early Nationalist –he stood up against the CMS Church – his first
employers for its treatment of African clergymen, including Crowther, for
which he was dismissed by the CMS Church in 1890.
He joined the Niger Coast Protectorate in 1893 and rose to become
Deputy Chief Clerk of the PWD in 1898.
He retired in 1910 and became extremely wealthy from trading in produce
And Licensed Money-Lending and was bestowed with the title Owelle of
Onitsha
He was one of the members of the Legislative Council 1922- the first
Elected Legislature and the joint-first Igbo Legislator, alongside S.C.Obianwu,
Serving till his death in 1930

16. S.C.OBIANWU

17. • He was born at Onitsha in 1861 and attended the Kippo Hill School
Lokoja, (alongside George Anyaegbunam 2nd Igbo Clergyman) between
1883-1887.
• He worked for the CMS Mission, as well as acting as an Agent for European
Traders on the Niger Coast.
• He amassed a small fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest traders in the area.
• He (alongside Isaac Mba) was one of the members of the first elected Nigerian
Parliament in 1922, nominated to represent the Niger Traders.
• His activism and contributions on the floor of the House were powerful
and cogent e.g The provision of utilities to African residents of Port Harcourt
And most importantly- the demand for a second enquiry into the Aba Women’s
War

18. OMU NWAGBOKA

19. • The Ikporo Onitsha was the ancient powerful female political
Institution of Onitsha, of which the Omu or Queen Headed. The
Omu title was common to the people of Anioma. The Omu was a
powerful spiritual and political position.
• Nwagboka was a wealthy trader, who amassed such wealth and
influence, her selection for assumption of the office was
unsurprising.
• She was a substantial influence on the Obi and was one of the
signatories to the 1884 RNC Treaty. A Christian convert, she would
close the Market on Sundays.
• She was engaged in a dispute with Obi Anazonwu, which saw her
ordering the women to boycott their husbands. Upon her death in
1888, no other Omu had been appointed till date.

20. IGWE ISRAEL IWEKA

21. • Born in 1879, he was an early Christian convert in
The Lower Niger area and received a secondary school
education.
• He was one of the first Nigerian Civil Engineering
contractors and built the massive Iweka Road at
Onitsha, amongst others.
• He wrote the first History of the Igbo people, both in
English and Igbo in 1922.
• He became a Warrant Chief of Obosi, his hometown in
1932.

22. J.C.ULASI

23. J.C.Ulasi was born at Nnewi c.1890, born to a modest Christian Family, but schooled in
the determined competitive and mercantile traditions of his people.
He is said to have travelled on foot from Nnewi to Aba in the mid-1920’s, in search
of fortune (“Oji ukwu ejeAba”).
At Aba he traded in textiles and produce, slowly and painstakingly building a solid asset base
By setting up roadside stalls along the Aba Road. He would recruit apprentices from Nnewi
At one stage, up to seventy.
By 1933, he had built up a fleet of six lorries, which he deployed into a road haulage business
Which earned him a Mail delivery contract for the Eastern Provinces. He later built up this fleet
To 10 lorries.
He became a Warrant Chief at Aba and died in 1944. His kinsman Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Was to succeed him as the King of the road haulage business by the formation of his legendary
Ojukwu Transport Company in 1937.

24. NWANYEREUWA/IKONNA ENYIA/MARY OKEZIE

25. Nwanyereuwa was a widow in the village of Oloko, on the Outskirts of Aba, who was
approached by an agent of the Warrant Chief Okugo ostensibly on a tax assessment, upon
which a scuffle ensued,
• She rallied women to her aid in the traditional method, by sending Palm fronds to her fellow
women, who came out in their 1000’s, mobilised largely by Ikonna Enyia, a formidable women
leader in the area. Her ethos being peaceful but robust protest both against the tax and the
Warrant Chief system.
• This set in motion the most violent protest of the early Colonial era, in which several persons
were killed by the Colonial authorities, leading to two panels of enquiry. The first being a
whitewash by the Colonial authorities and the second constituting of two Nigerians, which
recommended a review of colonial administrative practices. The representations from the
women at the second panel were written by a young teacher- Mary Okezie, which were
instrumental in stating their side.
• Ikonna Enyia was to continue her activism, later protesting against unfair taxes by the
Eastern Region Government of Dr Azikiwe.
• The riots became a rallying call of protest, for women not just in Nigeria but all over
the world.

26. 18. SIR LOUIS MBANEFO

27. Born at Onitsha in 1911 and called to the Bar in 1935, making himthe first Igbo Lawyer
He practised for 15 years, before election to the Eastern Region House of Assembly in 1950.
He was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1952- the first Igbo Judge.
He was appointed the first Chief Justice of the Eastern Region, in 1961.
The first Nigerian to be appointed to the International Court of Justice in 1962- as an ad-hoc
Judge, sitting on the South-Western Africa cases of 1962 – 1966.
He was Knighted by the Queen in 1961
He was appointed Chief Justice of Biafra, on declaration in 1967. He also led the Biafran
Delegation to the various peace talks and played an active part in the surrender of 1970.
He declined a return to the Nigerian Bench after the war and died in 1977,

28. EUGENE KEAZOR AND FREDERICK ONYIUKE

29. F.G.Onyiuke was born at Nimo, Anambra State c.1903 and attended the Catholic
Primary School at Nimo, before gaining admission into Kings College Lagos in
1922, said to be the first Igbo-man to achieve this. He joined the Colonial Civil
Service and progressed his career, before joining the Police Cadet Officer Training
programme in 1929. He was appointed a full Inspector of Police On 1 October 1930,
the joint-first Igbo-man to achieve this.
Eugene was born at Obosi in 1907 and attended Obosi Community Primary
School and was a foundation student of Dennis Memorial Grammar School in
1925. He joined the Nigeria Police Officer Cadet training programme, after which
He was appointed a Police Inspector- on 30 October 2014, the joint first Igbo-man
To achieve this. He retired as a Police Commissioner in 1964.

30. DR SIMON ONWU

31. Born in 1908 in Affa – Udi, Enugu State. He was the beneficiary of The vision
of the legendary Chief Onyeama Onwusi of Eke, who saw Education as the path
of progress for his people.
He trained at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying in 1932, making him the
second Igbo Medical Doctor, but the first to practice in Nigeria. He practiced
In the Government Medical Service in Port Harcourt, before embarking on a
Successful private career.
His achievement opened the door for several generations after him, such as
Akanu Ibiam, Walter Amobi, Jonas Iweka etc

32. BEN ENWONWU

33. Born at Onitsha, he studied Fine Art and became the first Nigerian
Artist to have his works exhibited in the United Kingdom.
He was the first African Artist to have the Queen sit for him- Sculpture in
1959.
He was awarded the OBE by the Queen for his contributions to the arts.
His works are exhibited all over the world and in particular adorn some of
Nigeria’s iconic buildings

34. IGWE ISAAC IWEKA

35. Born in 1911.Isaac Iweka was the eldest son of Igwe Israel Eloebo Iweka, (described above) He attended
Saint Andrews Primary School Obosi. The Hope Waddell Training Institution, Calabar and Dennis
Memorial Grammar School where he was as a foundation student. He worked with the United African
Company (U.A.C.), after leaving school.
He joined the service of PWD, from whom he obtained a University scholarship and attended Imperial
College, London, graduating in 1939 with a Degree in Civil Engineering. The first Igbo-man to achieve
This.
He returned to the PWD and worked as a Chief Engineer, retiring in 1956. He worked briefly as MD of
Union Construction Company and his own company Isajohn, till he was installed the Igwe of Obosi in
1974. He passed away in 1996.

36. MADAM MARY NZIMIRO

37. Born Mary Nwametu Onumonu on October 16, 1898, in Oguta. She attended Sacred Heart
School in Oguta and a Convent , briefly, from where she married politician Richard Nzimiro
in 1920.
She started her trading business in Port Harcourt in 1921, selling produce. She expanded
Rapidly, till she became the UAC’s biggest agent in Port Harcourt. At the peak of her
Business in the 1940’s, her annual turnover was in excess of £150,000 per annum
She organised co-operatives for women, giving them assistance in setting up their own
Businesses.
She was a politician and activist, famously bank-rolling her husband’s successful Mayoral bid
In Port Harcourt in 1951.
She is said to have been one of the first Igbo female Millionaires. She passed away in 1993.

38. LAUD VICTOR UGBOMA

39. He was born at Atani in Ogbaru, present day Anambra State, and Initially
trained as a teacher.
•He received emergency commission into the Army on 28th
August 1948, becoming the first Nigerian born Officer.
•He is said to have been instrumental to the award of Commissions, to
other Nigerians.
•He relinquished his commission in April 1953 and went back to
teaching- at Zixton Grammar School Ozubulu.
He passed away In 2002, after proving his primacy in the officer corps.

40. ADA PRISCILLA NZIMIRO

41. Ada Priscilla Nzimiro was born at Port Harcourt, in
1923, to Richard and Mary Nzimiro
She realised her parents dreams by admission to the
University of Glasgow in 1945, to study Medicine.
She graduated in 1950,becoming the first Igbo woman
to qualify as a Doctor.
She returned to Nigeria, in 1950, but died suddenly in
1951.

42. EMMANUEL IFEAJUNA

43. Born at Onitsha in 1932, he attended DMGS Onitsha, and was subsequently Admitted to the
University College Ibadan, to study Science.
Whilst at UCI, he was selected for the Nigerian Athletics team, competingAt the Empire
Games and Commonwealth Games, Vancouver Canada in 1954.
He won the Gold Medal in the High Jump, with a leap of 2.03m, which was also a new
Commonwealth Record.
He became the first Nigerian to win a Gold Medal in International Sporting
Competition.

44. DAN ANYIAM TITUS OKERE

45. • Dan Anyiam was born in 1929 at Owerri and made history by his
Part as one of the first set of Igbo’s to play for National Team- the
UK Tourists- 1949; the first Igbo to captain the National team and
Significantly as The first Nigerian to obtain an FA Coaching
certificate and the first Nigerian Indigenous coach in 1954
• Titus Okere also part of the UK Tourists team of 1949, and made
history by becoming the first Nigerian to sign a Professional Football
Contract with Swindon Town in 1953.

46. CHIEF JANET MOKELU

47. Janet Mokelu was born at Oraifite In Anambra State. She was an
Active member of the National Council for Nigerian Citizens and
headed its womens wing.
She made history alongside Margaret Ekpo by becoming two of the
First women in Nigeria to be elected into a Regional Parliament,
The Eastern Nigeria House of Assembly, in 1961.
She also served as Regional Minister for Works in the Eastern
Region, during the First Republic.

48. THEOPHILUS NZEGWU ROBERT MGBARONYE

49. Theo Nzegwu was born in 1928 and attended the Dennis Memorial Grammar School,
Onitsha, Faraday College, London, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge, where he qualified as an Engineer. He joined the RAF in 1959, as a
Flying Officer in the Education Corps, making him the first Igbo Airforce Officer.
He joined the Nigerian Airforce in 1964, as a Squadron Leader (Major) and Instructor.
He was killed in the pogrom of July 1966- alongside his contemporary Squadron Leader Obi
Robert Ngbaronye was born in 1921 and attended the Yaba Higher College, before stowing
Away and joining the RAF in 1943. After initial training, he became an Airforce Pilot,
The first Igbo-man to achieve this. However he reached the Rank of Flight Sergeant
and did not receive an Officers Commission. After WW2 he qualified as a Doctor and
Practised Medicine till his decease.

50. FLORA NWAKUCHE (NWAPA)

51. She born in 1931 at Oguta and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree
From the University College, Ibadan in 1957.
After a career in education at the Ministry of education Calabar and Queens
School, Enugu, she made history by becoming the first Nigerian woman to
Publish a novel in English- “Efuru” in 1966
She made history once more by her appointment as a Commissioner in East
Central State in 1970.
She passed away in 1993

52. CHINYERE ASIKA

53. • Born at Owerri, to famous educationist Nathaniel Ejiogu. She attended Queens
College Lagos and was admitted to Mills College, California in 1959- all on a full
scholarship. The first African woman to obtain a Post-graduate degree in
Information Technology and Library Science -from UCLA(as well as the first to
play drums In a rock band!!)
• One of the spokesperson’s for the Black Power Movement- she was interviewed
on American network television in 1962 .She and her husband – Ukpabi Asika,
spent time embedded with the ANC liberation fighters.
• She founded Otu Olu Obodo, in the old ECS. The largest non-Governmental
Women’s co-operative in Nigerian history (1 Million+ women) and was the first
person to hold a Woman focused appointment in Government- 1983.
• She was until recently the Director-General of NEPAD

54. RICHARD IHETU

55. Born at Amaigbo, in 1929. After early life on his fathers farm he worked as
A trader, before starting a local Boxing career.
As his career progressed he moved to the UK and then to the US, where he
eventually made history in 1962, by winning the World Middleweight tile,
Beating American Gene Fullmer. He became the first Igbo man to win a World
Boxing title.
He defended his title successfully in the first World Title fight to be held in
Nigeria at Ibadan in 1963.
He famously declared his support for Biafra during the Civil War. He died
in 1970 of Liver Cancer.

56. MADAM FELICIA AYALOGU

57. • Felicia Ayalogu studied Law at the University of London and was called
To the Bar in 1961. This distinction made her the first Igbo woman, to qualify
As a Lawyer.
• She returned to Nigeria and commenced Legal practice, setting up her iconic
Firm, after a period of Pupillage.
• She was the second Igbo woman to own and drive a car- the first being
Janet Agwuegbo (Nee Iwenofu) of Obosi.

58. JOSEPHINE TOLEFE

59. • Josephine Tolefe was born in 1931 at Ogwashi-Uku in present day Delta
State
• She studied Nursing and after qualification, she was commissioned into
the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, on 7 February 1961 becoming the first
woman to be commissioned into the Nigerian Army.
• On 1 June 1963, she was promoted to the rank of Captain- equally the first
Nigerian woman to achieve this.
• She left the Nigerian Army in 1967, as a result of the political crises of
1966-1967.

60. CHIEF MERCY ENELI

61. Born at Obosi in 1915, she got married to Pharmacist Frank Eneli in 1937.
She started a career as a trader in the 1930’s, selling general goods, until
The advent of Nigeria Breweries in 1949, when she then specialised in Beverages.
She slowly grew to become one of NBL’s biggest distributors and Shareholders.
This relationship was rewarded in 1975, when she was appointed to the Board of
NBL, as a Non-Executive Director- the first Nigerian woman to be appointed to
The Board of a listed company.
She passed away in 1994 and has a street named after her in Lagos.

62. STELLA NSOLO (UGBODE)

63. Born in 1932, and from Ilah, after her secondary school education, she was
Admitted to study Architecture at the Birmingham School of Architecture.
She qualified as an Architect in 1960, becoming the first Nigerian female
Architect.
She practised for several years as Government Architect- Chief Architect
Of the Midwest State till her retirement

64. PROFESSOR ALEXANDER ANIMALU

65. A Physicist, he attended St Thomas School Oba, Dennis Memorial Grammar
School, The University CollegeIbadan, Cambridge University, getting a PhD
in Physics. He Taught at Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania
and MIT.
He returned to Nigeria in 1976, becoming a Professor of Physics at UNN. He
formulated a theory of High Temperature Super-conductivity, based on the
novelty of pairing mechanism- which was called “Animalu’s
Isosuperconductivity”)
This led to his nomination for the Nobel Prize for Physics, three times.
He was also honoured with the Nigerian National Merit Award, amongst others
for his work.

66. JUSTICE VICTORIA ONEJEME

67. Justice Victoria Onejeme was called to the Bar in 1965 and in 1976, achieved the
Distinction of becoming the first Nigerian and indeed the first Igbo female
Attorney-General, in the old Anambra State, subsequently transferring to the
Bench as a Judge of the FCT High Court.
Justice Roseline Ukeje, also made history by becoming the first Nigerian and
Igbo woman to be appointed the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court in 2001

68. CHINYERE KALU

69. Born in Lagos, she attended the Anglican Girl School and enrolled
In the National College of Aviation Technology Zaria in 1978.
She qualified as a Private and Commercial Pilot in 1981, becoming the first
Nigerian woman to achieve this feat.
She was also the first woman ti suit as Rector of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
And Training School Zaria- till recently.

70. “THE FOUR CHI’S”- CONTEMPORARY RENAISSANCE PERSONS
CHI-CHI NWANOKU CHINWE CHUKWUOGO-ROY CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

71. Chi-chi Nwanoku was born in London of Igbo (Eziama) and Irish parents. Her prodigious
musical talent discovered early and she was eventually admitted into the Royal
Academy of Music, to study Classical Bass. She graduated with distinction and
Progressed a career, that saw her rise to break several glass ceilings and is today
Rated as one of the world’s greatest Classical Bassists. She was awarded an MBE
By the Queen and is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music.
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, was born in Ondo, with parents from Awka. She moved to the UK
In 1975 and has practised as a Painter since 1988. Her works have been exhibited all over the world and she was
commissioned for a portrait of the Queen. She was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2009, for her work.
Chimamanda Adichie was born at Nsukka to parents from Abba in Anambra State. She obtained Degrees from
Drexel, Eastern, Jhns Hopkins and Yale Universities, before embarking on a career as a Novelist. Her books “The
Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah won her th epresitigious Commonwealth Writers, Orange,
National Book Critics Awards amongst others. She also won the Readers Digest Author of the Year Award,
International Nonino Prize amongst many others. Whilst clearly a global personalisty, she represents the modern
face of a strong tradition of socially conscious, culturally aware and politically articulate writers of Igbo extraction.
Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in 1977 to Igbo parents from Enugu State and lived in London. He studied at the London
Academy of Drama and Music, from where he got his first big screen role. His career progressed he was to star in
numerous films and the culmination of his work being nomination for an Academy award in 2014 for “12 years a
Slave”, having won a BAFTA and other awards. He was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2008.

73. FIN