Who is Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha?
Anthony Chinweuba
Nnaemeka is a young advocate for social change and the SDGs. He holds a bachelors degree in economics and development and is currently a masters student at the university of Siena where He is studying conflict management and humanitarian action.
I wasn’t really aware of the SDGs till 2017 when I was enrolled in the compulsory Nigerian youth service and my friend Ogwu Cedric introduced me to the SDGs and since then I have volunteered and participated in various programs at local , national and international level.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
Thanks to Cedric for letting you know of the SDGs. Can you give an example of a program that you attended, or participated in. Perhaps the one that makes the most impact to you?
Anthony Chinweuba
Being part of the NYSC- SDG group was a huge turning point for me because it gave me an opportunity to better understand the SDGs and advocate for change . After that I joined Back2school Initiative (B2SI) as a peer educator where we visited schools with our main focus on SDG 4. In that period we were able to donate over 5000 books to public schools.
July 2019, I got accepted into Rondine Cittadella Della Pace in Italy which is an NGO that focuses on conflict Transformation. Most recently, I became a local pathway fellow of the UN-SDSN.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
Beautiful! From one to the other. And wow, 5000 books! That’s impacting and kind of what SDGs is all about. You might have experienced some challenges for these projects, what are they, and how did you overcome them?
Anthony Chinweuba
In the process of carrying out these projects, I was amazed by the zeal and hunger to learn which this children had . The challenge was basically difficulty in generating funds and books for the children. So we decided to use social media and local stakeholder engagement. This was a major breakthrough in the project as a lot of people supported the project.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
What motivates you to keep going in all that you do?
Anthony Chinweuba
For a large part of my life, situations and circumstances often dictate my next step or move but for the first time in my life I got the chance to pursue what I really love and this motivates me to see it to the end.
I have always wanted to help people wherever there is human suffering.
In the process of doing this, we have experienced a lot of testimonies. This motivates me to do more.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
This sounds nice and touching for real. What is that one thing that might stress you out a little bit, but you would still do it even when you know you’re not getting paid for it?
Anthony Chinweuba
Pretty much these activities because most of the time it’s being carried out without external assistance and we have to pay for logistics from our own pockets . But we always decide to dwell on the positive and focus on what we hope to achieve through these projects. Most of the time, getting people to engage is a huge difficulty but we keep trying.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
As a graduate of Economic, apart from personal interest, how do you describe the relationship between the SDGs and Economics?
Anthony Chinweuba
As my friend Cedric would say, “the most exciting thing about the SDGs is how interconnected they are”. By taking steps to achieve one, you are indirectly achieving another. So this deals with resources allocation and raises a lot of questions for example, how much of my resources should I invest here and why? Is this of importance? etc. Without resources we cant achieve anything, so economics is also a vocal point in achieving the SDGs.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
Nice to hear. To those who may want to be like you, what advice would you give them, especially as it pertains to the topic of personal development?
Anthony Chinweuba
Follow your heart at all times, speak to those ahead of you and always have alternative plans. I have come this far because of the people I have kept around me. I believe with the right people around you, you can achieve a lot.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
I hear you brother. Preach on the good news of networking.
It builds people faster these days.
Anthony Chinweuba
It’s difficult for me honestly because naturally I am a shy person but mehn the few times I have been in such a position, it has yielded a lot of results.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
As a summary, what would you tell your colleagues who may not be taking advantage of technology, which has come to be a major work tool for our generation?
Anthony Chinweuba
All I can say is, as times change we have to change as well. We are in a time where technology plays a huge role. So we have to embrace this change and take full advantage of it. Technology is the now and is the future. The earlier we embrace this, the better.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
Well said and thank you for your time. About being shy, maybe we can talk about that later because many of us are, and still find a way of doing things as though we’re not. How can our readers get in contact with you?
Anthony Chinweuba
LinkedIn would be okay.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
Alright, thank you for your time, and u really appreciate it.
Anthony Chinweuba
Your welcome G.
Nnaemeka Eke-Okocha
