Wendy Okolo

Wendy A. Okolo is a Nigerian-American aerospace research engineer in the Intelligent Systems Division at NASA Ames Research Center. She is the first Black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from University of Texas at Arlington. During Wendy’s undergraduate years, she served as president of the Society of Women Engineers at the university. Okolo is a Sub-Project Manager in the Intelligent Systems Division of NASA Ames. She is also a research engineer in the Discovery and Systems Health Technology (DaSH).

Nigerian Society of Engineers Space Engineering Division (NSESED)

Nigerian Society of Engineers, Space Engineering Division:Is aimed at extending knowledge in Space Engineering and making available professional development opportunities.

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) is the national space agency of Nigeria.The Agency was established on May 5, 1999 with a broad objective to pursue the development and application of space science and technology for the socio-economic benefits of the nation.It is based in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja and has a ground receiving station, among various other sites. It has had cooperation in space technology with the United Kingdom, China, Ukraine and Russia.

Peju Alatise

Peju Alatise is a Nigerian artist, poet, writer, and a fellow at the National Museum of African Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution. Alatise received formal training as an architect at Ladoke Akintola University in Oyo State, Nigeria. She then went on to work for 20 years as a studio artist. Her work was exhibited at Venice Biennale’s 57th edition, themed Viva Arte Viva (Long Live Art). Alatise, and two other Nigerian artists (Victor Ehikhamenor and Qudus Onikeku) were the first Nigerians to appear at the art exhibition. Her work was a group of life-size figures based on the life of a servant girl. In 2017, Alatise was a recipient of the FNB Art Prize.

Victor Ehikhamenor

Victor Ehighale Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian visual artist, writer, and photographer, once described as “undeniably one of Africa’s most innovative contemporary artists” and one of “42 African Innovators to Watch”. In 2017, he was selected (Peju Alatise and Qudus Onikeku) to represent Nigeria at the Venice Biennale, the first time Nigeria would be represented in the event. He is responsible for designing the covers of many books in Nigerian literature and he has received multiple awards, one of which is the 2020 Neon Museum Artist in residence.

Bruce Obomeyoma Onobrakpeya

Bruce Onobrakpeya is a celebrated Nigerian painter and printmaker. Celebrated for his innovative printmaking techniques, Onobrakpeya pioneered bronzed lino relief and metal foil deep etching in bold patterns and colors to explore Nigerian folklore and contemporary life. His aesthetic drew inspiration from a variety of source material, including the art of the Benin Kingdom, regional Nigerian landscape painting, Christian iconography, and the political turmoil of his home country, all of which he depicted in his art. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Vatican Museum in Rome, the National Gallery in Nairobi, and the National Museum of African Arts, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., among others.

Burna Boy

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. He is one of the biggest and most successful African artists. He rose to prominence in 2012 after releasing “Like to Party”, the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E (2013). His third studio album Outside marked his major-label debut. In 2019, he won Best International Act at the 2019 BET Awards, and was announced as an Apple Music Up Next artist. His fourth studio album African Giant was released in July 2019; it won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. He was awarded the African Artist of the year at the 2020 VGMA’s. In 2020, his album Twice as Tall was nominated for the same category at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making him the first Nigerian with back-to-back nominations at the Grammys. In 2021, he won the award for Best World Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Wizkid

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun known professionally as Wizkid is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. The recipient of several international music award nominations and awards, he began recording music at the age of 11 and managed to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed. He rose to prominence after releasing “Holla at Your Boy”, the lead single from his debut studio album, Superstar (2011). Wizkid became the first Afrobeats artist to appear in the 2018 Guinness World Records for his contribution to “One Dance”. In 2019, he was featured on Beyoncé’s project The Lion King: The Gift on the collaboration “Brown Skin Girl”, which won him a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. His fourth album, Made in Lagos, was released in October 2020, to wide commercial success and acclaim. The album includes the single “Essence”, which became the first Nigerian song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. By February 2021, Wizkid was the most-streamed Nigerian artist of all time on Spotify, with over 3.4 billion streams across all credits.

Jidenna

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson , better known mononymously as Jidenna, is a Nigerian-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2015, Jidenna released two singles, “Classic Man” and “Yoga”, promoting Janelle Monáe’s label Wondaland Records’ compilation EP The Eephus with Epic Records. His debut album, The Chief was released on February 17, 2017 and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200. Jidenna is signed to Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Records label and distributed through Epic Records. He has collaborated with a number of artists that are signed to this label; including Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, Deep Cotton and Janelle Monáe herself, and then began recording a five-song compilation of its label’s first extended play (EP), titled The Eephus. In February 2015, Jidenna released his first official single, called “Classic Man” featuring GianArthur. Jidenna stated that his major influences include KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane, as well as the Nigerian Highlife music genre.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor MBE is a British-Nigerian actor and filmmaker. Ejiofor has been acting since 1995 and has portrayed several characters such as; Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things (2002), Lola in Kinky Boots (2005), Victor Sweet in Four Brothers (2005), The Operative in Serenity (2005), Adrian Helmsley in 2012 (2009), Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Vincent Kapoor in The Martian (2015), Karl Mordo in Doctor Strange (2016) and Trywell Kamkwamba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019). He voiced Dr. Watson in Sherlock Gnomes (2018) and Scar in the 2019 remake of The Lion King and featured in the fantasy film Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. He received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his role in 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor has received numerous awards and nominations for acting, the most recent being the 2020 Newport Beach Film Festival Awards.

David Oyelowo

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo OBE is a British actor and producer who holds British, Nigerian, and American citizenship. Oyelowo rose to prominence for portraying Martin Luther King Jr. in the biographical drama film Selma (2014) and Peter Snowdin in the HBO film Nightingale (2014), both of which garnered him critical acclaim. He also achieved praise for his roles as Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom (2016) and Robert Katende in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has also played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Lincoln (2012), Red Tails (2012), and Jack Reacher (2012). Oyelowo received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma. Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.

John Boyega

John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega known professionally as John Boyega, is an English actor and producer of Nigerian descent. He first rose to prominence in his native Britain for his role as Moses in the sci-fi comedy film Attack the Block (2011), and his international breakthrough came with his role as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). His other credits include the historical fiction Half of a Yellow Sun (2013), the drama film Imperial Dreams (2014), the historical drama film Detroit (2017), the science fiction film Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), and four episodes of the television series 24: Live Another Day. He received the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2016, and was awarded the Trophée Chopard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Boyega was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2020.

Ese Brume

Ese Brume is a Nigerian athlete who specializes in the long jump. She is a three-time African senior champion in the long Jump and holds a personal best of 7.17m. She is the African junior record holder in the event and also a five-time African junior champion in athletics. Nigeria won its first medal in the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics when Ese won a bronze medal in the women’s long jump event.

Odion Jude Ighalo

Odion Jude Ighalo is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi club Al Shabab. Ighalo made his debut for the Nigeria national team in March 2015 against Uganda. He represented the nation at the 2018 World Cup and was the highest goalscorer in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign. He eventually led Nigeria to a third place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he finished in the competition’s Team of the Tournament and was crowned top scorer.

Asisat Lamina Oshoala

Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for both Spanish side FC Barcelona Femení in the Primera División and captains the Nigerian national team. Four-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year winner, Oshoala was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2015. Oshoala previously played for English clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, Chinese club Dailan, and Nigerian clubs Rivers Angels and FC Robo. She won the 2015 FA Women’s Cup with Arsenal; two league championships and a cup title with Dalian; and the 2019–20 Copa de la Reina and 2019–20 Supercopa de España Femenina with Barcelona. She was the first African (and Nigerian) player to score a goal in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final and has helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals three consecutive years, and one final. On 16 May 2021, Oshoala became the first African woman to win the UEFA Champions League, after Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4–0 in the finals. Oshoala was the highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and was named best player at the tournament. She was also named best player and second top goalscorer with the Super Falcons team who won the 2014 African Women’s Championship. In September 2014, Oshoala was made a Member of the Order of the Niger by President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan. In 2021, she was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. Asisat Oshoala was named the EaglesTracker Nigeria Women’s Most Valuable Player of the Season in 2020/2021.

Olatunbosun Tijani

Olatunbosun Tijani is a Nigerian-British entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Co-Creation Hub; a pan-African innovation enabler that works at the forefront of accelerating the application of innovation and social capital for a better society. CcHUB which stands at the forefront of the fastest moving technology industry trends has maintained its focus of shaping the economy and the future of Africa. Bosun was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People on the continent by New Africa Magazine. He received and initiated the visit of Mark Zuckerberg for the first time in Nigeria in August 2016. In 2019, CCHub acquired Kenya’s iHub under Bosun’s leadership.

Ndubuisi Ekekwe

Ndubuisi Ekekwe is a Nigerian professor, inventor, engineer, author, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of First Atlantic Semiconductors & Microelectronics – West Africa’s leading embedded systems company. His working experience includes Analog Devices Corp where he co-designed a generation accelerometer for the iPhone and created the company’s first wafer level chip scale package for inertial sensor. He is a player in the U.S. semiconductor industry where he develops innovative microchips and invented a microcontroller for medical robots. Ndubuisi Ekekwe was named in 2020 by Guardian Newspapers as one of 60 Nigerians In 60 Years Making “Nigerian Lives Matter”.

Jelani Aliyu

Jelani Aliyu is a Nigerian automotive designer who worked for the American car company General Motors. He was a senior creative designer at GM, until his appointment as the Director general of the Nigerian Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) in 2017 by Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari.

Genevieve Nnaji

Genevieve Nnaji is a Nigerian actress, producer, and director. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actor to win the award.In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her contributions to Nollywood. Her directorial debut movie, Lionheart, is the first Netflix Originated from Nigeria, and first Nigerian submission for the Oscars.

Mo Abudu

Mosunmola Abudu, popularly called Mo Abudu, is a Nigerian media mogul, philanthropist, and former human resources management consultant. She has been described by Forbes as “Africa’s Most Successful Woman”, and rated as one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’. In 2006, she started EbonyLife TV (ELTV), a network airing in more than 49 countries across Africa, as well as in the UK and the Caribbean to a pan-African audience. EbonyLife TV transmitted its first broadcast on 1 July 2013 on Multichoice’s DSTV Channel 165. Less than a year into operations, EbonyLife TV, ranking among the top 25% of most watched channels on the DStv platform, launched a premium, multi-screen video-on-demand (VOD) platform targeting Africans in the diaspora. It expanded its Sub Sahara African reach, following a carriage deal with another pay-TV operator StarTimes. Notable among TV drama series executive-produced and/or produced by Abudu, and aired on ELTV, include: Desperate Housewives Africa in partnership with Disney, Sons of the Caliphate, Castle & Castle, On the Real and The Governor.