But Olayiwola feels she needs to do more. Olayiwola and her brother, Okey, stay active in the Nigerian-American community. In , they co-founded the Student Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, which organizes at least two medical mission trips to Nigeria each year. Between and , the siblings often flew the nearly 8, miles to Nigeria to perform screenings for preventable diseases. They took blood pressure, advised patients on diabetes and obesity prevention, and provided prenatal counseling in rural areas.
It was the first of a series of military coups — again, later, in , then in , , , and — that were to deny the country even a semblance of democracy until Nnenna Kalu Makanjuola, who grew up in Nigeria and now lives in Atlanta. Her parents did return, but with few jobs available in the economic decline of the s, many Nigerians did not. Makanjuola, who has a pharmacy degree, works in public health and is the founder and editor in chief of Radiant Health Magazine , came to the U.
As an undergraduate student in Nigeria, Jacob Olupona, now a professor of African religious traditions at Harvard Divinity School, was a well-known activist in his community. He considered a career in politics, but a mentor changed his mind. Like Olayiwola, the importance of education was instilled in him from a young age but so too was the importance of spreading knowledge. That belief is what translated into his career as a teacher.
Olupona stresses that Nigerians have also achieved a lot in their country of origin. Moving to the U. Still, he believes the many academic opportunities in the U. Marry those American opportunities with an upbringing that emphasizes education, a drive to serve the U. Anyone from the Nigerian diaspora will tell you their parents gave them three career choices: doctor, lawyer or engineer.
Raised in the southern port city of Calabar, she had the Nigerian hustle baked into her upbringing. Four and a half years ago, she launched Innov8tiv to highlight success stories back home in Nigeria and throughout the African continent. Through her magazine and through African Women in Technology, which offers networking events, mentorship opportunities and internships, Akpe is helping propel women into careers like hers. Like Akpe, rapper Mekka Don took a traditional career route at first.
He got a law degree from New York University and worked at a top law firm, but he had always wanted to pursue music. Nigeria is expected to add more people than any other country during that span. Many people in Nigeria have considered leaving the country. Nigerians have a more positive view of Trump than people in many other countries. As of , there were about , Nigerian immigrants living in the U. People in the U. As of , around six-in-ten black Nigerian immigrants in the U.
These figures are for adults ages 25 and older. Share this link:. Currently, the USA has the largest Nigerian community that is estimated to be about 3.
Nigerians are among the most educated immigrant groups in the US. The research also shows that the Nigerian diaspora plays a major role in the development of their country of origin through remittance and engaging in different development programs. However further researches are needed that explore the diaspora engagement in politics, democratic process building, business and other social sector development.
Capstone Collection.
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