Celebrating Ndi-Igbo

Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE is an award-winning and two-time Golden Globe Award-nominated actor. He was born in London's Forest Gate to Nigerian parents Arinze, a doctor, and his mother, Obiajulu, a pharmacist He began acting in school plays at the age of thirteen at Dulwich College and joined the National Youth Theatre where he played the title role in Othello at the Bloomsbury Theatre in 1995, and again at the Arts Theatre in 1996. He made his film debut in the television movie Deadly Voyage in 1996. His first leading film role in the 2002's Dirty Pretty Things , for which he won a British Independent Film Award for best actor. In 2006 and 2007 he starred alongside Denzel Washington in Inside Man and American Gangster respectively In 2007, he reprised his role as Othello at the Donmar Warehouse, alongside Kelly Reilly as Desdemona, and Ewan McGregor as Iago. The production received favorable reviews, with particularly strong praise for Ejiofor. He was awarded t...

Died October 16, 1993 Florence Nkiru Nwapa was an author best known for her novel Efuru. It was among the first English language novels by a woman of Africa Descent. Flora as she was widely known was born in Oguta. Both of her parents, Christopher Ijeoma and Martha Nwapa, were teachers. She was educated at the University of Ibadan , receiving her B.A. in 1957. Nwapa continued her studies in England, earning in 1958 a degree in education from the University of Edinburgh . She was a leading light to a generation of African women writers. She is best-known for recreating life and traditions from a woman's viewpoint. She has been called the mother of modern African literature. Besides writing books, Nwapa established Tana Press, which published adult fiction. It was the first indigenous publishing house owned by a black African woman in West Africa. Flora also set up another publishing company, Flora Nwapa and Co., which specialized in children's fiction. She also is know...

Nneka is a musician who now lives in Hamburg, Germany was born in 1981 in Warri, Nigeria. At age 19 she immigrated to Hamburg, Germany ostensibly to study anthropology. She hooked up with DJ Farhot, and in 2005 they produced a five-song EP, “The Uncomfortable Truth”, which brought her to the attention of major labels in Europe. Her second album, “Victim of Truth” got rave reviews from the music press. The songs on the album provide a range of sounds from deep soulful ballads like ‘Confession’ to funky Hip-Hop tracks like ‘Stand Strong’ to ‘Changes’, which is a modern reinvention of the 90s UK soul sound. The Sunday Times described Victim of Truth as being as good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill The influential Blues & Soul called her a “Soul queen in the making”, while Touch said “Nneka’s debut album is nearly as cool as her hair-do!” Nneka’s music is both raw and fresh, she has supported the likes of Femi Kuti, Seeed, Sean Paul and Gnarls Barkley. Nneka is also heavily influe...

Died May 11, 1996 Popularily known as ‘Zik’, Azikiwe was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism and the first President of Nigeria, holding the position throughout the Nigerian First Republic. Born in 1904 in Zungeru, Zik attended the Methodist Boys' High School in Lagos, Howard University , Washington DC and Lincoln University , Pennsylvania where he obtained a masters degree in 1933. After a successful journalism enterprise with the African Morning Post and West African Pilot, Azikiwe entered into politics, co-founding the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside Herbert Macaulay in 1944. In 1952, he was elected to the position of Chief Minister of Eastern Region, and in 1954 became Premier of Nigeria's Eastern Region. On November 16, 1960, he became the Governor General and on the same day became the first Nigerian named to the Queen's Privy Council. With the proclamation of a republic in 1963, he became the first President of Nig...

Leonard "Leo" Stanley Nnamdi Ekeh is a businessman who is best known as the chairman of Zinox Technologies. Zinox Technologies Limited is a partnership of Stan Technologies (Nigeria), Mustek (South Africa), and Alhena (France). Leo-Stan Ekeh, (FNCS, OFR) has a record of perceptive entrepreneurship and his vision to computerize Nigeria has rewritten the history of information Technology in the Third World. He initiated Desktop publishing and Computer graphics in Nigeria with his first company Task Systems Ltd in 1989. He pioneered ICT products Distribution in West Africa with his company -Technology Distributions Ltd and ICT Solution through ITEC Solutions Ltd. A winner of several international and local awards, he is fondly called the "Bill Gates of Africa" by IT industry watchers. Stanley holds a Bachelor of Science, degree in Economics from the Punjab University , India, and a Post Graduate Degree in Risk Management from Nottingham University , England. He has be...

Chinedu Echeruo is the founder and creator of Hopstop. Hopstop is a city transit guide launched in 2001. It provides door-to-door subway and bus directions and maps for New York City. One can also search for places to restaurants, bars and hotels. Other popular features include sending directions by e-mail or text messaging to a cell phone directly from the website and planning a trip with multiple destinations using the itinerary. Users can get directions or the locations of nearby subway and bus stops remotely on their cell phone or PDA with the HopStop Mobile service. Today, the site serves about a million customers each month and generates annual revenues in excess of $3 million. Chinedu holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from Syracuse University. HopStop

Nkolika "Nicky" Nonyelum Anosike is a professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Minnesota Lynx. Anosike grew up in Staten Island and attended college at Tennessee and graduated in 2008. While at Tennessee Anosike won back to back National Champions in 2007 and 2008. Following her collegiate career, she was selected in the 2nd Round (16th overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. Nicky who is six feet four inches tall is engaged to Tennessee Football Player Demonte Bolden. Career Notes: 2007 NCAA national championship team member; 2007 Final Four All-Tournament team; member of the 2005 U19 team that won gold in Tunisia; 2005 All-SEC freshman team honoree; academic All-American (2005, 2006, 2007). Career Averages: 7.1 ppg, 43% FG, 5.9 rpg, 148 steals, 121 blocks Senior Season: 9.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 45% FG, 1.7 spg, 1.1 bpg Source: Wikipedia/WNBA