Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

Ngozi Odita is the co-owner of Harriet’s Alter Ego based on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. This boutique is not only home to some of the flyest indie labels in New York, but they also count Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def and Dead Prez as some of their celebrity friends who constantly rock their threads.

Chika Chukwumerije (born December 30, 1983) is a male taekwondo practitioner. The son of Nigerian politician Uche Chukwumerije, Chika first drew attention in 2003 during the qualifiers for the 2003 All-Africa Games, where he eventually won a bronze medal in the Heavyweight Male category. He qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, but lost his first bout to Pascal Gentil, the eventual bronze medal winner. Nevertheless, after a period of intensive training that was funded by his father, he became one of Nigeria's best chances for a medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won a gold medal at the 2007 All-Africa Games in the +80kg class and qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games soon after. Although he lost to eventual silver-medal winner Alexandros Nikolaidis in the semifinals of the +80kg event, he was entered into the repechage round of the tournament. Here, after defeating Akmal Irgashev of Uzbekistan he claimed a bronze medal in the event, Nigeria's third meda...

Chinwe Onyeagoro has assisted organizations in designing and implementing hundreds of public and private sector initiatives. Over the last four years, OHcp has successfully raised a total of $115 million in grants, competitive loans, government subsidies, and real estate investments for clients throughout the country. Prior to establishing OHcp, Chinwe worked as one of four investment analysts overseeing the Pritzker Realty Group's $3 billion in real estate assets. She has also worked as a management consultant for global firms, including McKinsey & Company and the Monitor Group, in the US, UK, Japan, Spain, and France. Chinwe graduated with a magna cum laude degree in Economics and East Asian Studies from Harvard University. She is a member of The Aspen Institute's 2008 Class of Henry Crown Fellows. She serves on the Boards of several local and national civic organizations. Chinwe is proficient in three non-English languages, including Spanish, Japanese, and Igbo. Source: ...

Chidi Mokeme’s fame soared as the anchorman of the first two editions of Gulder Ultimate Search. Today, Mokeme has become a household Nollywood name. His educational pursuit started in Salvation Army Primary School, in Surulere, Lagos, from there he went to Federal Government College, Minna, Niger State and later proceeded to Institute of Management Technology, Enugu, where he read computer science before going into acting as a career.

Regina Agu was born in Houston, TX and was raised traveling overseas throughout Africa and Europe, as her father undertook work with the United Nations, World Health Organization. Her family has roots in both Nigeria and Louisiana, and her artwork reflects her own rich cultural heritage, as well as the cultures and locations that she encountered during her upbringing. Regina was first exposed to drawing and painting through her mother’s artwork, sketchbooks and design textbooks, and she began to nurture her own creative drive as a young child. Upon returning to the United States to attend Cornell University, Regina became increasingly involved with the visual arts, and after relocating back to Houston, she continues to exhibit and create new work. Her work has recently been included in Art Official Intelligence at the TSU Museum (Feb-Mar 2008), and 5-A Citywide (MFAH) 2008, Of Women (Community Artist Collective). Source: Artwork by Regina Agu

Maudlyne Ihejirika is an education reporter and assistant city editor with the Chicago Sun-Times. A veteran news journalist with more than 18 years experience in media, public relations and government, she holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and a Bachelor’s in Journalism and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. Ms. Ihejirika began her career at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1986, where she spent 11 years covering issues from politics to urban affairs, and was Weekend City Editor when she left the Sun-Times in 1997. An award-winning news reporter, she is the recipient of numerous citations for her hard-hitting urban affairs coverage. Ms. Ihejirika was responsible for launching the Season of Sharing Program for the Chicago Sun-Times Charity Trust in 1996, serving as its director in the program’s first year. In 1997, she was hired away from the Chicago Sun-Times by then Illinois Governor Jim Edgar to serve as press secret...

Uche Nduka (born 14 October 1963) is a poet, writer, lecturer and songwriter who was awarded the Association of Nigerian Authors Prize for Poetry in 1997. He currently lives in New York. Uche Nduka was born on 14th of October 1963 in Umuahia, Nigeria. He earned a B.A Combined Honours degree in English from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1985. He has worked as the first Executive Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (1987-1989), National Publicity secretary of ANA (1992-1995), and Lecturer in African Literature at the University of Bremen (1995-2001; 2003-2007). He has lived in Holland, Germany and the USA. Nduka's volumes of poetry are Flower Child (1988), Second Act (1994), The Bremen Poems (1995), Chiaroscuro (1997) (winner of the Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize), If Only the Night (2002), Heart’s Field (2005) and Eel on Reef (2007). Nduka edited the anthologies, Poets in Their Youth (1988), and Und auf den Straßen eine Pest: Junge Nigerianische Lyr...

Ifeoma Dieke stands on the edge of a new dawn. The Scotland international defender is part of the latest attempt to set up a professional women's soccer league in America. The 27 year-old has signed for Chicago Red Stars - one of seven teams in the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) - which launched in March. Dieke, who played for Cumbernauld Ladies Club Team in Scotland went to university in Miami on a soccer scholarship in 1999 is also a Scottish international.

Young soprano Chinwe Enu is rapidly garnering acclaim for her beautiful voice and captivating stage presence. In August 2006, she appeared as Saffi in Der Zigeunerbaron in concert in Graz, Austria with the American Institute of Musical Studies Festival Orchestra. Following her concert appearances, she was praised for her “glorious sound” and “superior talent.” On June 25, 2006, Ms. Enu made her debut as a soprano soloist at the annual summer concert of the Heritage Signature Chorale, a concert choir hailed by the Washington Post for its “spectacular vocal polish.” Ms. Enu’s notable past performances include several roles with the Washington, DC Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society: Edith in The Pirates of Penzance, The Duchess in The Gondoliers, and Buttercup in HMS Pinafore. She has also performed roles in Italy and in Salzburg, Austria. A native of Enugu State, Nigeria, Ms. Enu journeyed to the United States when she was fifteen. She attended Phillips Exeter Academy. While at Ex...

Onye Ozuzu is a performing artist, choreographer, educator and researcher. Her body of work fuses modern dance, West African dance, Japanese and Chinese martial arts, yoga, improvisational performance, literature and cultural studies. She has been actively making and performing work since 1997. Her work has been seen nationally and internationally at The Joyce Soho (Manhattan, NY), Kaay Fecc Festival Des Tous les Danses (Dakar, Senegal), La Festival del Caribe (Santiago, Cuba), Lisner Auditorium (Washington DC) among others. Current and up-coming projects include vigorous engagement with interdisciplinary collaboration and feature works with painter Michael Dixon, filmmaker Adam DeMonet, sculptor Steve Silber, lighting designer Robert Shannon and others.

Jaja Anucha Wachuku (1 January 1918 - 7 November 1996), was a Pan-Africanist, a distinguished Nigerian statesman, lawyer, politician, diplomat and humanitarian. He was the first Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, as well as first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was also the first Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Wachuku attended Infant School at St. Georges NDP Umuomainta, Nbawsi, Abia State, Government College Umuahia, Yaba Higher College, Lagos, Nigeria, Gold Coast People's College, Adidomae New Africa University College, Anulaga and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Wachuku was 78 years on his death at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital [UNTH] Enugu, Nigeria during the late morning of Thursday, November 7, 1996. Source: Wiki

Ifeanyi Ohalete who hails from Mbano is a former American football strong safety in National Football League. Ohalete played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2004. He came to Arizona on waivers from the Washington Redskins, where he played 47 games with 24 starts from 2001-2003. He entered the NFL with Washington in 2001 as a college free agent. Ohalete played the 2005 season as the starting Strong Safety for the eventual 2005 AFC North Division Champion Cincinnati Bengals. He played in 2007 for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League, and was second on the team in tackles.

Pearlena Igbokwe is the Senior Vice President, 20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION . She oversees creative development and production for a distinctive and varied slate of scripted and non-fiction original programming for the premium cable network, Showtime. Ms. Igbokwe developed and currently oversees creative affairs and production on a variety of projects including Dexter, a one hour drama series about an affable serial killer living in Miami starring Six Feet Under’s Michael C. Hall, The Underground, a provocative half hour sketch comedy show executive produced by and starring Damon Wayans, and Sexual Healing, a documentary series from the award winning producers of Taxicab Confessions that follows real life couples undergoing counseling for sexual dysfunction. Most recently, Igbokwe also oversaw the development of several high profile projects including Fat Actress starring Kirstie Alley, and the TV adaptation of Barbershop starring Omar Gooding. She was also responsible for the five sea...

Dr. Chinyere G. Okafor is an Associate Professor of English and Women’s Studies, Wichita State University, Kansas. She is the Vice President of the Association of African Women Scholars, Chair of the Advisory Board, Women In Need Inc. and Board Member of Global Learning Center. An alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Wales (Cardiff), University of Sussex (Brighton), she did postdoctoral work on gender politics of African Masking at Cornell University (Ithaca). She has taught at the University of Portharcourt and University of Benin (Nigeria); University of Swaziland, Kwaluseni (Swaziland); Montgomery College, Rockville, MD and the University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME. Poet, playwright, and fiction writer, Dr. Okafor speaks and writes about the challenges of ordinary women and men. Issues of war, suppression, politics, greed, poverty and disease feature alongside love, bonding, creativity, motivation and strength that support the engagement of hostility. She...

Monsignor Jude Okolo from the Apostolic Nunciature in Canberra has been appointed as the Nuncio for Chad and the Central African Republic. The first in West Africa and third in entire Africa to hold the post. The 51 year old Archbishop-elect was born in Kano, Nigeria and ordained a priest on July 2 1983. He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law and entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See in 1990, serving in Sri Lanka, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic. He has been Counsellor at Australia's Aposotlic Nunciature since 2006 and is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Igbo and basic Czech.

Ivy Uche Okoronkwo holds the enviable record as the first female officer to be appointed Commissioner of Police for a state command and that was when she served in trouble-pruned Ekiti State. She is also the first woman to head a zonal command in the 148-year history of the Force as she currently presides over the affairs of Zone 7 Police Headquarters at Abuja, overseeing operations in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger and Kaduna states. Ivy,a native of Arochukwu in Abia State, enlisted in the police as Cadet Assistant Superintendent on August 1, 1978 after her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/Criminology at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1977. On November 3, 2007, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Women in Nigeria and she is the president of Women Police Officers in West Africa.

BEN is an internationally-acclaimed artist whose forte is the powerful use of his lyrical integrity and command over his multiple talents in music and the arts to communicate and educate. Ben is respected and renowned amongst his peers in his native Nigeria, USA, Europe and beyond. Ben has a sound reputation for empowering people to use their intellect in conjunction with their artistic skills to express their views on world issues peacefully yet effectively. Source: BBC

Dr Ejine Okoroafor–Ezediaro is a medical doctor living in New York. She originally hails from Oguta, Imo State, Nigeria. She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria and MBBS from Vinnica State Medical University, Ukraine. She is also the author of critically acclaimed A Rose in Bloom and its sequel, Pathos of a wilting Rose as well as poetry collection, Whimsical Rhapsody .

Aloysius Atuegbu was one of Nigeria’s greatest all time footballers. Nicknamed Blockbuster for his ferocious shots, Aloy was born on April 29, 1953 in Jos. He played for Mighty Jets of Jos, but made his name while playing for Enugu Rangers International. Aloysius who was capped 60 times for Nigeria, died on May 25th 2008.

Chinyere McKenzie runs dance and arts organisation All Street in Moss Side, Machester. She also used to be a member of Simon Webbe's protégé band VS. VS were a British R&B/pop group that had three hits on the UK Singles Chart.

Nkechi Ka Egenamba known as Ninja is an English rapper and the female lead vocalist for the British indie band The Go! Team . Doing a mixture of rapping, chanting and singing, Ninja is well known for her energetic stage performances and dancing . In 2005, NME voted Ninja the 15th coolest person in music.

Michael Ugochukwu Stephens, known by his stage name Ruggedman, born on September 20 (year unidentified) in Ehem, Abia State, is a Nigerian rapper. A graduate of political science from Lagos State University, Ojo, he started loving music in 1989. He had his own songs done in 1991 and released a CD, which had two tracks. He was influenced by KRS-One, Dr. Dre, DMX, Eminem and many others. He released an album entitled Thy Album Come, and is now recording an album with Afro hip hop artist Faze . He is also been around the world including Dublin and Durban, South Africa where He says he had the time of his life hanging out with his old time friend, Deji of Soundcity at the 2005 KORA Awards. He is still considered by a larger proportion of Nigerians to be the best rapper ever to emerge from West Africa. On March 3, 2007, he released his second album, Ruggedy Baba, which includes the lead single Ruggedy Baba (featuring 9ice) and Club Rugged. It moved over 100,000 units after only thre...

NKECHI is lead vocalist and principle songwriter of NKECHI LIVE! the performance platform of her Organic Astral Soul Original musical works in progress. Over time working with several producers and musicians she has evolved an exotic and alternative blend of dynamic soul, world folk, and ambient rock! Driving hypnotic rhythms and NKECHI's spacially placed melodies, vocals, and lyrics are what gives NKECHI LIVE! a unique sound. Music Nkechi Live! Vol 1 : Astral Soul Butterfly Rock Songs Mysterious Man (Help Me) (Live In Studio) All He Could Pay (Remix)

Sandie Okoro who is one of the United Kingdom's leading in-house lawyers. Sandie was born in London in 1964 and read Law and Politics at Birmingham University, graduating in 1988. She attended the Inns of Court School of Law for the Bar Finals and was Called to the Bar in 1988 (Lincoln’s Inn). In 1989 Sandie joined a small Mayfair law firm, Stoneham Langton and Passmore and in 1990 she disbarred and became a solicitor. The same year she joined Schroders (which in 2007 has over £132billion under management) where she remained for 16 years. Schroders was an Investment Bank when Sandie joined in 1990 and she was initially in the private client section as Head of their Trustee Company, at the age of just 25. Between 1998 and 2000 she moved onto the institutional side (Schroder Investment Management Limited), becoming the Schroder Investment Management International’s first lawyer and built up this section. On her return from a nine-month maternity leave in 2002, it was testimony to Sc...

Chinwe Dike is the UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative in the Gambia . UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

Benjamin Ndubuisi Eze (born 8 February 1981 in Lagos) is a Nigerian basketball Center with Mens Sana Basket in Serie A in Italy. In July of 2004 he made the move to Siena, Italy by signing with Montepaschi, the Italian Champions in search of continued growth. In February 2009 he earned the Italian Cup, the first in Mens Sana Basket's History. Source: Montepaschi

Dawn Okoro , a painter and University of Texas alum, is pursuing her craft while she's enrolled as a third-year law student at Texas Southern University in Houston - and yet she's become something of an accidental celebrity consort and a portrait artist to the stars. So far she's teamed up with Erykah Badu to raise awareness for the singer's nonprofit organization, and has had Shaun Robinson of "Access Hollywood" and Victoria's Secret model Nichole both commission portraits. She's shown artwork in London, and even sent a painting to a show in Australia whose organizer turned out to have appeared in a recent "Star Wars" flick. Okoro's art has recently graced the pages of Paris-based "CLAM" magazine. With minimal self-promotion Okoro has managed to sell several dozen paintings and has developed cadres of collectors in Dallas, New York and Los Angeles. While she spends her school years in Houston, she plans to make her home base Ne...

Stefano Okaka Chuka (born August 9, 1989 in Castiglione del Lago, Perugia) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie B club Brescia, on loan from Roma. Born in Castiglione del Lago, Umbria to Igbo parents who later obtained Italian citizenship, Okaka joined the Roma youth system in 2004, winning the U-20 national title in 2005, scoring goals against Juventus in the semi-final, and Atalanta in the final. On September 29, 2005 he made his debut with the first team in UEFA Cup, playing against Aris FC, and thus becoming the youngest footballer to debut in an international competition for an Italian team. Stefano also scored his first official goal for Roma in a Coppa Italia match against Napoli, on December 8, 2005, with a powerful run from midfield and a precise shot to the left of the goalkeeper. He has since then appeared a number of times for the senior squad, scoring his first Serie A goal on September 17, 2006, the last of three Roma goals in a 3–1 win over Siena. He...

Izu Ojukwu is a Nigerian film director. Working predominantly in action films, this technically driven director is known for his unorthodox camera work and visuals. He frequently collaborates with Emeka Hill Umeasor. Entering the industry straight out of high school in 1991, Izu has done comparably few movies, preferring to better equip himself with practical training rather than classroom knowledge. Izu was a featured part of the documentary Welcome to Nollywood (2007), as it followed him making his 2007 film Laviva. Source: WIki

Chris Ofili (born 1968) is a painter noted for artworks referencing aspects of his Nigerian heritage. He is one of the Young British Artists. He is a Turner Prize winner and his work has been a source of controversy. Ofili was born in Manchester on the 10th October 1968. He completed a foundation in art at Tameside College in Ashton-under-Lyne and studied art in London, at the Chelsea School of Art from 1988 to 1991 and at the Royal College of Art from 1991 to 1993. Ofili was established through exhibitions by Charles Saatchi at his gallery in North London and the travelling exhibition Sensation (1997) becoming recognised as one of the few British artists of African/Caribbean descent to breakthrough as a member of the Young British Artists. Ofili has also had numerous solo shows since the early 1990s including the Serpentine Gallery. In 1998, Ofili won the Turner Prize, and in 2003 he was selected to represent Britain at the Venice Biennale of that year, where his work for the Brit...

Chiege Alisigwe could have been an acclaimed athlete. But perhaps she was not destined to be one. Fate had something else in stock for her: she became an actress, a tube goddess, one of the beauties that make Nollywood tick. In early days at school, the Orlu Imo-State born Chiege was athletic champion for many years and would have gladly represented Enugu State at an earlier edition of the National Sports Festival, but for the politics of state of origin, which deprived her of that opportunity. That ended her dream of being a top athlete. She gave acting a serious thought after her studies at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, where she studied Fine and Applied Arts. An encounter with a family friend who was then a recognisable face in the movie industry provided the break. She had expressed the desire to do some serious acting to the family friend who informed her of an audition exercise at the Hotel Presidential in Enugu. After her first role as Agu's wife in...

Azuka is a dancer and model. He is a member of the creative crew, a London based dance and production agency whose clients include M&S, Harrods, Diesel and adidas.

They are the husband and wife team that claimed the $1 million prize on the seventh season of CBS's hit reality series " The Amazing Race " in 207. Their adventures traversed five continents, 25 cities and 40,000 miles. Both worked for now-bankrupt companies that experienced highly publicized accounting scandals: Uchenna worked for Enron and Joyce worked for WorldCom. They are now national representatives for a national fertility campaign, RESOLVE .

Ezinne Okparaebo (born 3 March 1988 in Imo, Nigeria) is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for Norway. Okparaebo represented Norway at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She competed at the 100 metres sprint and placed second in her first round heat after Kerron Stewart in a time of 11.32 seconds. She qualified for the second round in which she failed to qualify for the semi finals as her time of 11.45 was the fourth time of her race. In the 2009 European Indoor Championships in Torino she won a silver medal on the 60 metre event.