Igbo Global Leadership Portraits for the 21st Century

The rising of influential and global leaders of Igbo descent of Nigeria around the world from America to Europe and Russia is giving rise to an emerging IGBO Renaissance and The making of Igbo Global Leaders around the world.

Chuka Umunna: (British Politician)
Umunna is a British MP of Nigerian heritage. He was born 17 October 1978

in London to Nigerian father of the Igbo ethnic group and Irish mother.

In 2010 Umunna was elected parliamentarian, representing Streatham

constituency on the platform of the Labour Party.
Umunna who is popularly known as “UK Obama,” schooled at Hitherfield

Primary School inStreatham, South London, and Christ Church Primary School

in Brixton Hill. Umunna attended University of Manchester; where he

received an upper second class LLB in English and French Law. He later

received MA at Nottingham Law School, University of Burgundy in Dijon.

Before his political career, he wrote articles for Financial Times,

Tribune, The Voice, The Guardian and the New Statesman, and later lunched

the online political magazine, The Multicultural Politic. He made frequent

commentary on British televisions and radios. Earlier this year (2015),

Umunna made history by moving an inch in becoming the first black prime

minister of Britain. He put forward his name to contest for Labour Party

of Britain. He later rescinded the move but at the tender age of 38 years

he has many more years to try again.
Okey Mbonu (Public Policy Executive and Attorney USA)

In the vast 1.5 to 2 million Nigerian-American Diaspora population,

Mbonu’s name recognition is among the top 5 in the US, pursuant to his

frequent appearances on US national and international TV networks. As

the next generation of Nigerian leadership prepares to take charge of

21st century Nigeria, persons like Mbonu should be expected to play

critical roles in a renewed Nigeria.
Mbonu burst into the Nigerian-American scene when he was appointed a

Commissioner in the State of Maryland, shortly after attending American

University, and graduating with a JD-Law from the District of Columbia

School of Law, Washington, DC. However, his career in public service

actually started before then. He was first elected Student Senator at

Washington’s District of Columbia School of law; being the first African

Immigrant to be elected to the coveted law school Senate seat. Post-law

school, Mbonu was appointed a Commissioner (Housing & Community

Development), in Prince George’s, Maryland. Prince George’s Maryland, is

a sprawling suburb of Washington DC, and the wealthiest African American

majority county in the US. In Maryland, Mbonu distinguished himself at a

time the jurisdiction was host to the largest, costliest, multifaceted

development in the US East Coast—the $1 billion Washington National

Harbor. As a Commissioner for Housing & Community Development, from 2002

to 2007, Mbonu was a key official during the largest housing and

community development boom in the Washington DC region. During this era,

suburban Maryland featured 100’s of millions in public-private

development projects, in metropolitan Washington.
Mbonu tells us that he’s not certain he will consider a future opportunity

for public service in Nigeria. Nevertheless, we do not know of many

modern Nigerian leaders with the 21st century credentials, including

unscathed public service, tried and tested in the US public service

environment, like Mbonu. Mbonu should be included among the future

leaders of Nigeria
Chi Onwurah (British Politician)
Chi Onwurah is a British of Nigerian ancestry, who was elected on the

platform of the Labour Party in Newcastle Central seat in the year 2010.

Just like Chuka Umunna, she is biracial with an Igbo- Nigerian father and

English mother. Onwurah was born 12 April 1965 in Wallsend, Newcastle.

“After Chi was born in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1965, her family

moved to Awka,Nigeria when she was still a baby. Just two years later the

Biafran Civil War broke out bringing famine with it, forcing her mother to

bring the children back to Newcastle, whilst her father stayed on in the

Biafran army.” Onwurah obtained her first degree in Electrical Engineering

from Imperial College London and subsequently her MBA at Manchester

Business School.
Dr. John Godson Chikama Onyekwere (Poland/Polish Politician)

“Onyekwere was born in Nigeria to an Igbo family in 1970. A former

Pentecostal minister, he came to Poland as a missionary in 1993. He has

been a Polish citizen since 2001. He lives in Łódź with his wife

and four children. He holds a doctorate in political science from the

University of Warsaw, and has studied in Nigeria, Poland and the United

States. Godson has lectured at many prestigious Polish universities. In

2010 he became a member of Poland’s parliament. From 2004 to 2013, he was

a member of Poland’s ruling party, Civic Platform, and belonged to the

party’s socially conservative, pro-free market wing. He left the party

citing ideological differences, and together with Member of Parliament

Jacek Żalek and Poland’s former Minister of Justice Jarosław

Gowin is creating a new Polish social movement devoted to promoting free

market reforms and defending traditional values.” (by FILIP MAZURCZAK)