₦airaland Forum

Meet 29-year-old Nigerian professor Onyeka Nwelue.

Below are some of the extracts from his Wikipaedia page.....



Onyeka Nwelue (born 31 January 1988) is a Nigerian cultural entrepreneur, filmmaker,professor and author who is best known for his novel The Abyssinian Boy, which was published when he was 21 and won the TM Aluko Prize for Fiction, came second at the Ibrahim Tahir Prize for First Book, was nominated for the Future Awards and later won the Prince Claus Ticket Grant.

Nwelue is also currently an assistant professor and Visiting Fellow of African Literature and Studies at the English Language Department of the Faculty of Humanities, Manipur University in Imphal,India.

Early life:

Onyeka Nwelue was born in Ehime Mbano in Imo state, Nigeria to Honourable Sam Nwelue, a politician and Knight of St. Christopher and Lady Catherine Nwelue, a teacher and Lay Reader. When he was 11, he was sent to Mount Olives Seminary in Umuezeala Nsu, where he was meant to become a priest. He left Mount Olives Seminary to continue at Holy Family Secondary School, before running away to Lagos, to pursue his career in writing.

Personal life:

Nwelue left for Lagos when he was 16 years old to attend the Wole Soyinka Festival, after which he was introduced to the Nobel Laureate. A few years later, Nwelue travelled to India for the 2nd International Writers’ Festival, at the invitation of the India Cultural Association.

He is the fourth of six children to his parents. His mother is cousin to Flora Nwapa, often regarded as the first African female writer to be published internationally, and acclaimed writer Chukwuemaka Ike  and Professor Leslye Obiora, former Minister of Mines and Steel.

At the age of 21, Nwelue was the first African to join Sandbox, a global community of young innovators under 30, after which he was followed by Nigerian musician, Bez.


Education and teaching:

On his return from India, Nwelue got admitted into the University of Nigeria,Nsukka, to study Sociology & Anthropology. He spent two years and dropped out, to study Scriptwriting at the Asian School of Media Studies in Noida, India, after which he taught Film Directing at Center for Research in Art of Film & TV (CRAFT). He handled the Sandwich Class of the English Language Department of the University of Lagos while working as the editor of FilmAfrique, a primer on African film initiatives, published by Africa Film Academy , curators of the Africa Movie Academy Awards. He was offered a scholarship to study Directing at the Prague Film School in the Czech Republic.

In 2014, he was appointed a Visiting Lecturer of African Studies at the School of Modern Language and Culture, the University of Hong Kong, and later an assistant professor of African Studies at Instituto d'Amicis in Puebla, Mexico.

By January 2015, he was promoted as Visiting Fellow cum assistant professor of African Literature at the University of Manipur in Imphal, north east India.



Career:

Early in his career, Nwelue wrote for The Guardian Newspaper in Nigeia, a rare opportunity given to him by Jahman Anikulapo, the then Editor of Sunday edition popular known as The Guardian on Sunday.

Later career:

Since the success of his novel, Nwelue has co-written the film Namaste Naija, directed by Teco Benson and shot in Hyderabad and Lagos. He also co-created a short film, The Beginning of Everything Colourful, with British actor and model Dudley O'Shaughnessy.In early 2012, Nwelue was signed to the Pontas Agency in Spain.He founded Blues & Hills Consultancy, which was featured on MTV Meets MTN with Ben Murray Bruce. Nwelue's firm organized the first ever Bayelsa Book & Craft Fair, where he served as the director. He also undertook to edit and publish FilmAfrique, a primer on African cinema, funded by the Africa Film Academy, curators of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Under Blues & Hills Consultancy, La Cave Musik was created and situates in Paris and Puebla, to serve as CEO/President.At 27, Nwelue became the youngest jury member of any film festival, as part of the Woodpecker International Film Festival in India. He went on to later create The Italian-Nigerian Festival of Cultures, curating the Diplomatic Jazz Nights for the diplomatic community in Nigeria.


Some of his novels:

The Abyssinian Boy,Burnt,Hip-Hop is Only for Children,The House of Nwapa and more.

Notable awards:

The Future Awards,2009 TM ALUKO Prize for Fiction,
2009 TAHIR IBRAHIM Prize for First Book,2000 THOMSON Short Story Prize

cc; Lalasticlala,mynd44

Source: http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2017/04/meet-29-year-old-nigerian-professor.html?m=1

Read more. http://www.trezzyhelm.com/2017/04/meet-29-year-old-nigerian-professor.html?m=1

Good one but Nigerians abroad too like degrees with little monetary equivalent (me included) esp the ones in the UK.

Bro, I hope your bank statement is commensurate with your degrees. #just kidding.

Congrats man.

He is an IGBO guy.
NCAN from the brown roof region would be highly disappointed.

I know him. He was a dropout from a school here in Nigeria. Look at him now. Never say never.

Nice one .

Please what's his tribe?

Is it only degrees alll these Diasporans know how to gather
Where
Are inventions ?

Doesn't look 29 to me

MrAwePresident:
Is it only degrees alll these Diasporans know how to gather
Where
Are inventions ?

Show us 5 useful things your country invented.

freshness2020:
I know him. He was a dropout from a school here in Nigeria. Look at him now. Never say never.

I know him too,he was a dropout from UNN now look at him today.meanwhile some people are still carrying their first class on their head looking for employment

Loud mouthed dude. I love his brashness.

akashi01:
Show us 5 useful things your country invented.

So if you gather knowledge finish
Whats the point if you cannot
Invent better things
Add more value to the community
Contribute your own creations

If these people owned as many patents as they own degrees
They will be ten times greater and better off than they are

The nigerian university education can't be compared with these international types so dont expect much inventions from them

jericco1:
Doesn't look 29 to me

He is... Just the beards and dreadlocks.

It's in the arts......

Not surprised

MrAwePresident:
So if you gather knowledge finish
Whats the point if you cannot
Invent better things
Add more value to the community
Contribute your own creations

If these people owned as many patents as they own degrees
They will be ten times greater and better off than they are

The nigerian university education can't be compared with these international types so dont expect much inventions from them

Lubbish.


Most of the major theories propunded by scientists (Newton, Joules...) were done in the era where education was little appreciated and scientific intrest was limited to the "elite"...





I feel your point though; of them coming back to help the country but what incentive is there to entice them

MrAwePresident:
So if you gather knowledge finish
Whats the point if you cannot
Invent better things
Add more value to the community
Contribute your own creations

If these people owned as many patents as they own degrees
They will be ten times greater and better off than they are

The nigerian university education can't be compared with these international types so dont expect much inventions from them

Exactly.

Almost everything we use was invented by them. So what was your question again?

wow...

Check my signature for altot more information on ecommerce website development.

But Igbos are indeed doing very well

Why is he wearing female slippers in the last pic?

wow wow wow wow #ambulancealert

Idydarling:
wow wow wow wow #ambulancealert

Hello my baby,didn't hear from you again why?

This is the first time I have heard of him but I like him already. African pride got to go check the library for his novels.

incerdible stuff . to get best websites and training check my signature

HIGHESTPOPORI:
Hello my baby,didn't hear from you again why?

ebgbon sir, I sent you mail... as for ur number, it ain't showing on WhatsApp

eezeribe:
He is an IGBO guy.
NCAN from the brown roof region would be highly disappointed.

If you have not mention The brown roof region in yah post,you never accomplish. You'd continue to be in our shadow. Now Wail no more

Idydarling:
ebgbon sir, I sent you mail... as for ur number, it ain't showing on WhatsApp

Just send me a message to that no,I need to add u to my contact b4 u see my profile.And what's d meaning of Egbon? Am not yoruba,proudly Anambra.

HIGHESTPOPORI:
Just send me a message to that no,I need to add u to my contact b4 u see my profile.

hmmmm