NIGERIA’S EXCEPTIONAL DADS

Dr Ikemba Iweala

When most people hear the name, Iweala, the first person that comes to mind is the highly accomplished Nigerian ex-minister and recently appointed Director General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with little thought of her husband, Dr Ikemba Iweala. Dr Ikemba Iweala is a man of diverse sides; all excellently managed with good results. He is renown neurosurgeon, an amazing husband, and an exceptional father.

To an average Nigerian, Dr Ikemba Iweala is merely the spouse to one of the greatest black women on the planet. However, in his own right, he is a great man in every way. In the over seven decades of his existence, he has accomplished a substantial amount of good, not just for himself, but also the world around him.

Two obvious instances in which Dr Ikemba Iweala’s excellence is serving humanity are his unwavering dedication to his service as a medical doctor and his Urgent Care/Trauma Surgical Center that continues to provide help to those who need it. As excellent as all his professional achievements are, they are not the only things that Dr Iweala excels at. He is also the proud father of highly accomplished children.

It is a well-known fact globally that an involved father is an important factor in the proper upbringing of children and their subsequent success in life. This is scientifically confirmed in a research published by Michael E. Lamb from the University of Cambridge. He asserts that “positive paternal engagement predicts adaptive social and cognitive outcomes in children and affects men’s career success and personality in positive ways.” As

such, given the astonishing success of all four children of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her husband, it will not be inaccurate to say that he is an exceptional dad.

The Iweala Children: Evidence of Excellent Parenting To have an idea of Dr Ikemba Iweala’s inestimable worth as a father, allow us to tell you a little about his four children and their feats.

Onyinye Iweala (AB, MD,

PhD), the first daughter and child of Dr Ikemba and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a graduate of Harvard University. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. With a PhD, among other qualifications in the bag, it is evident that this exceptional woman is no underachiever.

Uzodinma Iweala (AB, Harvard, MD,

Columbia), Dr Ikemba Iweala’s second child is no pushover either. Much like his older sister, he graduated from Harvard University. He is a medical doctor that uses his steady physician’s hands to save lives and an awardwinning creative writer as well. One of his most exceptional works, Beasts of No Nation, was adapted as a feature film in 2015. It starred some of the biggest actors in the Hollywood scene, including Idris Elba and was well-received, considering the awards it bagged as well as the mentions it got from Time Magazine, The Times, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, to mention a few. Interestingly, he was selected as the youngest of Granta’s Best Young Novelists.

Despite this impressive feat, Dr Ikemba Iweala did not neglect his role as a father by patting his back endlessly. Instead, according to the Guardian, he was said to have told his son, “You’ve done a great job, but don’t get too high on being the youngest this or the youngest that because someone somewhere will do great things at a younger age than you. It’s not about age. It’s about the work you produce.”

This excellent piece of advice from Dr Ikemba Iweala to his son, Uzodinma, prompted him to develop himself even further and in 2018, he released another novel, “Speak No Evil.”

Okechukwu Iweala (AB,

Harvard), the third of Dr Ikemba’s children also graduated from the prestigious Harvard University, a feat that only a fraction of the world can achieve.

Uchechi Iweala (AB, MD, MBA, Harvard), the last child of Dr Ikemba is an exceptional man in all respects. He is an orthopaedic spine surgeon with a PhD, among other qualifications, as well as various works of research and years of experience in the bag.

Dr Ikemba Iweala: The Father Everyone Wishes For If one of the factors for measuring the excellence of a father is how successful and well-adjusted his children are, then Dr Ikemba Iweala is nothing short of astounding and worthy of emulation. Why? While not disputing or undermining their efforts, his children are the true testament to Dr Ikemba Iweala’s outstanding parenting.

By Oyebode Oluwasegun