Nma Okafor goes for dream internship
By PAUL OHIA, 07.03.2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009

It’s like living in dreamland and enjoying all the benefits - Nma Winnie Okafor is presently working at the United States Congress not as a lawmaker but as an intern. She is one of the first to enjoy this rare opportunity, and in her own case, she is working with a legislator from Illinois, the state that produced the present American President Barack Obama.

She won the scholarship-like internship along with two other Americans, Hunter Huffman and Matthew Veenas from the Northern Illinois University. The three now live, learn and work in the heart of the US capital under a new university-established congressional internship programme.

The junior honours students each won $5,000 scholarships to defray costs associated with the internship. The students reported for work on May 25, and are living in housing provided by George Washington University, located in the center of Washington, DC, just a short walk from the Capitol, the NIU website reported.

Okafor is majoring in political science with a minor in economics. She is a member of the NIU debate team and has been active in tutoring and peer advisory work.

Born December 14, 1989, is the first of five children from the family of Mr. and Mrs. Willie and Olga Okafor. From birth, Nma showed signs of ambition, brilliance and was always cheerful. Her father is from Enuguabo village in the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State while her mother hails from Cameroon. This dual heritage, perhaps, was the catalyst that explains her passion for unity among African nations.

Miss Okafor’s paternal grandparents (both late) were farmers, passing the traditional Nigerian values of hard work and dedication to her father who continues to instill that in his own children. Her maternal grandparents, Joseph Njee (late) and Hannah Njee (nee Njeuma), were both teachers. Late Joseph Njee studied alongside contemporaries such as Professor Wole Soyinka at Obafemi Awolowo where he became a lecturer at the institution’s University Teaching School in the years around Nigeria’s independence.

Okafor’s parents introduced her to education and academic pursuits at a very early age. When she was only three years old, she attended Row Toy International day care in Ikoyi, Lagos under British instructors. At age four, she started her primary education at St. Mary’s Private School, a Catholic institution in Lagos. Sequel to her excellent performance, she had a double promotion from primary four to primary six which made it possible for her to complete her primary education at the tender age of nine.

From there, she proceeded to Queen’s College, Yaba. At QC, the young girl continued to excel not only academically but also in leadership roles and served as the school’s Catholic Prefect in her final year of secondary school which she completed at the age of 15 in 2005.

In August 2006, she gained admission into Northern Illinois University (NIU) and will graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics in May 2010. Thereafter, Miss Okafor intends to pursue her PhD. in Political Science and subsequently a Doctor of Jurisprudence in Law. In the summer of 2009, she was selected by the Department of Political Science as one of the three students to represent the university as one of the congressional interns in Washington DC.

Prior to her latest sojourn, Nma in 2007 participated in the KPMG Future Diversities Leaders Conference and her inspiring statement remains on the website of the organisation. Her words: “As a participant of KPMG’s Future Diversity Leaders Conference 2007, one of the things I was eager to discover was KPMG’s definition of diversity. Many companies recognise diversity only to put check marks, which helps them fulfill a requirement in the box that reads ‘equal number of minorities’. Based on KPMG’s interpretation of diversity, I believe I was selected to attend the FDL conference because of who I am and not necessarily because of colour of my skin. I feel honoured that I was given the recognition I deserve as a hardworking young woman.”

In 2007, she was on the Dean’s list of the NIU. The dean's list is compiled by a university’s academic colleges according to varying criteria. To make the list, students enrolled in the Colleges of Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Health and Human Sciences must meet a minimum semester grade point average of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale. Freshmen and sophomores in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology must meet a minimum semester grade point average of 3.5, while juniors, seniors and post-graduate students are selected from the top ten percentile.

She doesn’t hide her feelings when it comes to expressing an opinion on pertinent issues. Thus one of her write-ups in the Northern Star publication drew the attention of sundry commentators. In a letter to the editor, Nma wrote: “As I sat in my lounge in Douglas Hall, I overlooked the crowd of cheering supporters (mostly African-Americans) who came out to Central Park rallying for the cause of the Jena 6 and also watching the pledging process of a black fraternity. It dawned on me then that I was not only in America, the land of the free, but also the land of social injustice.”

Though she narrated her bitter experience with racism, she ended her write-up with words of encouragement: “To the African-American youth of NIU, I say, don’t forget your roots. Though the tide of injustice may be fast-flowing, hold on tight and fight the right fight. The right fight is not the fight of anger and frustration, neither is it the fight of yelling and threatening to beat up fellow students. It is the fight of non-violent persistence. Remember MLK (Martin Luther King) and look to his leadership.”

Okafor inherited a strong family heritage that is theo-centric and emphasises the important of religion in life. She was born and brought up as a faithful Catholic and attended the Catholic Church of Assumption, Falomo, Ikoyi in her childhood. At Northern Illinois University, her Catholic identity, love of God and neighbours, respect for others’ differences without compromising her religious and family values, have shaped and defined who she is.

This young lady with a very bright future is very passionate about politics; believing like her father in a prosperous Nigeria and a united Africa. She envisions an African continent that will be self-sustaining as well as a major contributor to the world economy, peace and stability, as well as being a major collaborator in the fight against terrorism.

She envisions a continent that values the empowerment of women and children, the dignity and equality of all people and believes that with legitimate human effort, global solidarity, and divine providence, Africa, as a continent, can stamp out corruption and be a leading partner in global prosperity.

[img]http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2009/may4/images/okafor-nma.jpg[/img]

Born in Minnesota and raised in Nigeria, Okafor is a 19-year-old junior honors student (she started at NIU at age 16), majoring in political science with a minor in economics. She is a member of the NIU debate team and has been active in tutoring and peer advisory.

“The focal point of my life, having come from humble means myself, is centered on giving back to the poor,” Okafor said. “I am interested in politics in Nigeria. I hope to return home and change the political system through grassroots involvement in politics just like President Obama has done here. But also on a broader scale, my goal is to advocate for development in Africa as a whole, through microfinance and other similar programs.” --Northern Today


Thank God for time, time will hopefully make her realize that the Nigerian political system is too f-cked up to be changed. I pray she continues to excel and rise to high positions. If she's really interested in politics in Nigeria, one ministerial stint should be enough to discourage her from trying to become part of the most useless government the universe has witnessed - the Nigeria government.