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31.12.2024 Featured Okonjo-Iweala, Lookman… 12 Nigerians Who Made the Country Proud in 2024

Published 31st Dec, 2024

By Tola Owoyele

Despite the many hardships in Nigeria, some of its citizens have continued to give the country a good name and image abroad.

Apart from excelling in their areas of speciality and making their respective families proud, these Nigerians have positioned the country as one with the potential to be great if natural talents and resources are correctly harnessed, encouraged and made to flourish.

Among other remarkable citizens, here are 11 Nigerians who made the country proud abroad in 2024:

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Olamide Ayeni Selected for Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

CHIOMA AGWUEGBO

Chioma Agwuegbo

In March, the Ford Foundation, a world-renowned organisation supporting social justice and innovations, named Chioma Agwuegbo, executive director of TechHerNG, as one of its 2024 Ford Global Fellows.

With the announcement, Agwuegbo, alongside 25 other selected fellows, became a part of a programme that was designed to connect and support the next generation of leaders from around the world who are advancing innovative solutions to end inequality.

BUKOLA SALAMI

Professor Bukola Salami

In June, the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) elected Professor Bukola Salami, a Canada-based Nigerian nurse, as its vice president.

A professor at the University of Calgary, Salami was elected during the association’s virtual annual meeting of members on June 13. She contested against Farah Khan, a nurse who boasted over 20 years of professional experience and was an adjunct lecturer in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto.

OLAMIDE AYENI

Olamide Ayeni

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Olamide Ayeni Selected for Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship

In October, Olamide Ayeni, an award-winning Nigerian student in the United States of America, emerged as one of the 88 successful candidates for the 2025 class of the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship.

With the feat, Ayeni became the first African from Michigan State (her school) and the only finalist from the state to be selected for the fellowship.

SAMSON DAUDA

Samson Dauda
Samson Dauda

On October 13, Samson Dauda, a Nigerian-British bodybuilder, made history by winning the 60th Mr Olympia bodybuilding contest held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada, USA.

Dauda, who began his bodybuilding career in 2014, claimed the top prize and walked away with a record-breaking $600,000 in prize money.

TUNDE ONAKOYA

Tunde Onakoya and the children at the chess innovation hub in Lagos watch the World Championship match between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh. PHOTO CREDIT: Tunde Onakoya/X.

Tunde Onakoya is the convener of Chess in Slums Africa, an initiative he has used to create interventions for children across slums in Lagos and a handful of states in Nigeria.

A more memorable feat of Onakoya’s was his Guinness World Record attempt to play the longest marathon chess game. Onakoya played chess for over 60 hours at Times Square in New York City on April 20.

Onakoya has managed to inspire hope in less privileged children by helping them out of the slums, while reigniting a national interest in chess and Nigerian chess talents.

On October 22, Onakoya launched a chess innovation hub in Lagos.

READ ALSO: Nigerian Lawyer Abimbola Ojenike Selected for Tällberg Leaders Programme

ABIMBOLA OJENIKE

Abimbola Ojenike

In early November, Abimbola Ojenike, a Nigerian lawyer and social innovator, was selected to join the 2024 cohort of the Tällberg Leaders Mentoring Leaders (TLML) programme.

Ojenike, who is FIJ’s lawyer, is also the co-founder of the Destiny Trust Foundation, an establishment that caters for the well-being, education and empowerment of homeless children and other classes of young people in disadvantaged circumstances.

The TLML is a one-year innovative mentorship programme designed to identify and nurture emerging leaders with outsized potential. Ojenike was selected for the programme alongside 11 other innovative leaders.

CHIDIMMA ADETSHINA

Chidimma Adetshina
Chidimma Adetshina

On November 16, Chidimma Adetshina, Nigeria’s representative at the 73rd Miss Universe Pageant held at Arena Ciudad de México, Mexico, emerged as the competition’s first runner-up.

Adetshina, who holds the title of Miss Universe Nigeria, was also named Miss Universe Africa and Oceania 2024 by the organisers. She is the highest-ranked African contestant in the 2024 edition of Miss Universe.

Adetshina, born to a Nigerian father in South Africa, would have competed in the Miss South Africa 2024 competition but stepped down due to xenophobic attacks. She later competed in Nigeria and was crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2024 before representing Nigeria at the global pageant competition.

READ ALSO: Chidimma Adetshina Emerges First Runner-Up at Miss Universe

UGO UGOCHUKWU

Ugo Ugochukwu

On November 17, Ugo Ugochuckwu, a Nigerian-American race car driver, won the 2024 FIA FR World Cup.

Ugochukwu, 17, was born to a Nigerian fashion model mother and an Italian fashion designer dad in New York, United States of America.

The Nigerian-American will compete in FIA’s Formula 3, the third-tier world racing championship, in 2025.

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

On November 29, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former finance minister, was reappointed as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for a second term.

The 70-year-old Nigerian economist, the only candidate for the role, needed the support or agreement of all 166 WTO members, including the United States, to secure the position.

Okonjo-Iweala made history by becoming the first woman and African to lead the WTO in 2021.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: Okonjo-Iweala Secures Second Term as WTO DG

ADEMOLA LOOKMAN

Ademola Lookman at CAF Awards

On December 16, Ademola Lookman, Nigerian and Atalanta BC forward, was named the African Player of the Year at the prestigious 2024 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards.

Lookman was instrumental in both his club’s European success, scoring a hat-trick in the final game in 2024, and Nigeria’s qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Lookman edged out fierce competition from Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra, Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy and South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to claim the award.

JUDE ILO

Ude Jude Ilo

On December 18, the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), announced the appointment of Nigerian Udo Jude Ilo, a social change activist, as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2025.

Ilo, a former Nigeria representative of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), succeeds Sam Muller, the founding CEO, who had led the organisation for two decades.

RENA WAKAMA AND D’TIGRESS

Coach Rena Wakama and D’Tigress celebrate at the Paris 2024 Olympics. PHOTO CREDIT: D’Tigress/X.

This is not an individual; D’Tigress is the women’s national basketball team which represents Nigeria in international sports competitions.

D’Tigress gained their first Olympic game victory in 20 years by defeating a top-rated Australian team 75-62 in their first 2024 Summer Olympics match in Paris.

The girls advanced to the quarterfinals for the first ever and became the first African basketball team (male or female) to ever qualify for the Olympics basketball quarterfinals.

D’Tigress set new records and won many Nigerians over for women’s basketball and sports.

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Published 31st Dec, 2024

By Tola Owoyele

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