Meet The First Igbo Professors in Different Fields

~~~Igbo Nwere Ndi Dimkpa

Meet The First Igbo Professors in Different Fields

The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria 🇳🇬 have made remarkable contributions to education and scholarship.

Over the years, many became pioneers in their fields, breaking new ground and setting the stage for future generations.

– Professor Kenneth Dike – First Nigerian Professor of History

Born December 17, 1917, in Awka, Anambra State. He was the first Nigerian Professor of History and first African Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (1960).

His book Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta remains a classic. He Died October 26, 1983.

– Professor Lazarus Ekwueme – First Nigerian Professor of Music

Born January 28, 1936, in Oko, Anambra State. He became the first Nigerian Professor of Music, a pioneer in ethnomusicology and African choral music.

Also an actor and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNN. He Died November 4, 2023.

– Professor Nzebunwa Aguwa – First Nigerian Professor of Clinical Pharmacy

Distinguished academic who became Nigeria’s first Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, shaping pharmaceutical education and training.

– Professor Vincent C. B. Nwuga – First Nigerian Professor of Physiotherapy

The first Nigerian Professor of Physiotherapy, credited with developing physiotherapy education and rehabilitation practice in Nigeria.

– Professor Joseph Chike Edozien – First Nigerian Professor of Physiology

Born July 28, 1925, in Asaba, Delta State. A pioneer in medicine and physiology, he later became the traditional ruler of Asaba (Asagba of Asaba). He Died February 6, 2022, aged 97.

– Professor Eni Njoku – First Nigerian Professor of Botany

Born November 6, 1917, in Ebem Ohafia, Abia State. First Nigerian Professor of Botany and first Nigerian Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (1962–1965). Died December 22, 1974.

– Professor James Nwoye Adichie – First Nigerian Professor of Statistics

Born in 1932, in Abba, Anambra State. He was the first Nigerian Professor of Statistics and taught for decades at UNN. Father of writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. He Died June 10, 2020.

– Professor Emmanuel Nwanolue Emenanjo – First Nigerian Professor of Igbo Language & Linguistics

Born 1943. A linguist and educationist, he pioneered Igbo language studies, authoring standard texts like A Grammar of Contemporary Igbo.

– Professor Timothy Uzodinma Nwala – First Nigerian Graduate in Philosophy & Father of African Philosophy

Born 1942. A trailblazer in African philosophy, he established African Philosophy as a discipline taught globally and authored works such as Igbo Philosophy.

– Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna – First Nigerian Female Professor of Mass Communication

Born in Onitsha, Anambra State. She became the first Nigerian female Professor of Mass Communication, noted for her research and mentorship.

– Professor P. K. Igbokwe – First Nigerian Female Professor of Chemical Engineering

Trailblazing female academic in engineering who broke barriers as Nigeria’s first female Professor of Chemical Engineering.

– Professor Ogbazi Joy Ukamaka – First Nigerian Female Professor of Urban and Regional Planning

Nigeria’s first female Professor in Urban and Regional Planning, known for her contributions to urban development and policy.

– Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke – First Female Igbo Professor of Physics & Space Weather

Born 1956. She became the first female Head of the Department of Physics at UNN, with groundbreaking research in geomagnetism and space science. M

– Professor Michael Joseph Chukwudalu Echeruo – Pioneer in Literary Scholarship

Born 1937, Umunumo, Imo State. Distinguished literary scholar and former president of the Modern Language Association of America. Made major contributions to African and Igbo literary studies.

– Professor Elizabeth Allo Isichei – Pioneer in African & Igbo History (Igbo by marriage)

Born 1939, New Zealand. Married to an Igbo man, she became a leading historian of the Igbo people, authoring A History of the Igbo People.

– Professor Frederick Nnabuenyi Ugonna – Pioneer in Linguistics & African Languages

Born 1936. He promoted African and Igbo language studies, making major contributions to linguistics scholarship. Died 1990.

– Professor Samuel Ejikeme Okoye – First Nigerian Professor of Astronomy

Born 1939. The first Nigerian Professor of Astronomy and first Black African with a PhD in Radio Astronomy (Cambridge, 1965). He established the Space Research Centre at UNN in 1972. Died 2009.

– Professor Dehlia Umunna – First Nigerian Professor at Harvard Law School

Born 1972. Nigerian-American legal scholar, appointed in 2015 as Harvard Law School’s first Nigerian Professor.

She is also Deputy Director at the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute.