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RECAP: How Nigerians Are Excelling Abroad
Nigerian scholar Nnabuike Chisom delivering the international student commencement address entirely in Chinese.
“Naija no dey carry last” sometimes sounds like an unnecessary catchphrase, but Nigerians across the world have been proving that Nigerians don’t carry last in their endeavours. For years, Nigerians have broken world records, set new records, entered rooms through unexpected doors, succeeding and excelling, flying the Nigerian flag with pride. From academic excellence to entrepreneurship, we shared the news of a few Nigerians excelling and exceeding expectations abroad in the past week.
Let’s recap some of them:
Nnabuike Chisom
Nigerian graduate Nnabuike Chisom went viral after delivering a flawless graduation keynote speech in fluent Mandarin at the master’s graduation ceremony at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
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Dorcas Akanbi
Nigerian student Dr Dorcas Akanbi has graduated from medical school in Russia with an impressive 4.90/5.00 CGPA.
She also delivered her valedictory speech in Russian at her induction into the medical profession. Congratulations to Dr. Dorcas Akanbi remarkable achievement.
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Kehinde Idowu
Meet Dr Kehinde Opeoluwa Idowu, the Nigerian doctor whose quick thinking and life-saving intervention helped save a stranger’s life after he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel in Roswell, Georgia.
When John Nimmo’s car swerved off Holcomb Bridge Road after he went into cardiac arrest, Dr. Idowu followed the vehicle, rushed to his aid, and performed CPR for about 10 minutes until emergency responders arrived—an act that proved lifesaving.
Dr Idowu is a family physician and hospice and palliative medicine specialist at Northside Hospital. He earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College, completed his Family Medicine residency at the USF Morsani College of Medicine, and recently completed a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Care at Wellstar Kennestone.
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Rachel Ikemeh
Nigerian conservationist Rachel Ikemeh has been named a 2026 Rolex Awards Laureate in recognition of her community-led efforts to protect the Niger Delta’s rich biodiversity, conserve threatened species, and improve local livelihoods.
When Nigerian conservationist Rachel Ikemeh first visited the Niger Delta in 2013, she encountered forests heavily polluted by crude oil. Determined to protect the region, she launched the community-led South-West/Niger Delta Forest Project (SWNDFP), working alongside local communities to restore forests and conserve endangered wildlife.
One of the project’s biggest successes has been the recovery of the critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus monkey. With only about 200 individuals remaining by 2021, Ikemeh helped establish a 1,000-hectare community-protected conservation area, where the monkey population has since doubled. Today, the SWNDFP manages four conservation areas, protecting at least 13 threatened species, improving more than 2,500 livelihoods, and reaching over 18,000 people through conservation education.
With support from Rolex, Ikemeh is expanding her impact by creating four additional community conservation areas, launching a conservation training hub, and introducing a mobile education programme. She is also leading the establishment of the Niger Delta’s first locally managed marine protected area, while inspiring a new generation of conservationists to safeguard Nigeria’s natural heritage.
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Ozoz Sokoh
Culinary anthropologist Ozoz Sokoh has made history as the first Nigerian cookbook author to win a James Beard Foundation Award. Her debut book, Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, secured the 2026 Emerging Voice in Books honour at the prestigious media ceremony in Chicago.
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Tobi Amusan
Nigerian world star, Tobi Amusan, won the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2026 Paris Diamond League, matching her season-best time of 12.28 seconds. Amusan finished ahead of Americans Grace Stark and Alaysha Johnson.
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