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From Huts to Ivory Towers: Catalog of Nigerian Achievers
The perception of an individual, group, or idea is a social construct often dictated by prevailing narratives but some
stereotypes may be developed without an iota of truth. For any good story that needs to be told, it can never come too
early or too late, it is always timely. So it is with generations of Nigerians in the US, whose narratives capture the
essence of strength, determination, achievements and exemplary human dignity. These achievers are members of a
vanguard at the forefront of new developments, who in the words of Professor Ali Mazrui in The Africans, are
contributing to the creation of a modern society that incorporates the best of their own culture. For all the thousands
of superb Nigerians who have established their American credentials and concordant to the sentiment expressed by Dr.
Olakunle O. Akinboboye and others like him, there should be a forum “to showcase our best and brightest.” This age of
mass media in which we find ourselves provides the unique opportunity and setting for dynamic and indelible coverage
to achieve the goal of showcasing and profiling the best and brightest of Nigerian achievers. If “it takes a village to raise
a child” the ancestral African hut, in the context of their narrative, is the environment from which this breeding
emanates. The term ivory tower has its origin in Biblical times and has found modern usage in the admiration of
someone, in any walk of life, who devote their entire efforts to a noble cause. The thousands of Nigerians in the US
who fall into this category of achievers are an essential part of the Nigerian narrative to which their profile is a tangible
contribution to the positive chapters in this narrative. The stories of survival and achievements in this book are not
hollow victories over adversity, they document the building of a rich and enduring legacy that will live on for eternity.
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