Di Nigerian woman wey go from living for homeless shelter to becoming a world-renowned scientist

For 1990, Prof Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu bin come down from plane for London from Nigeria wit her three young daughters—one still be small baby dat time—she carry just one suitcase and small money. She bin dey return to di city wia dem bin born her 30 years earlier to start new life.

Within weeks, she find hersef for one homeless shelter, wia she dey struggle to feed and protect her family. Fast forward to few decades and she don become world-renowned and recognised scientist.

Her remarkable journey dey designed by courage and resilience - and few unexpected twists and turns.

Early Life

Wen Dame Ijeoma parents arrive for di United Kingdom from Nigeria for 1960, her mother bin dey pregnant, and wen dem born her, dem give her name wey dey filled wit hope and meaning.

"Ijeoma mean 'good journey'—dem give me dat name wit di hope say evritin go go well for dem for dia new kontri," Dame Ijeoma remember.

Her parents na both university students dat time and so dia baby daughter bin dey wit one family wey dey care for her for Kent, one county for di south east of England. Dis na common arrangement amongst West African students wey get children.

Dame Ijeoma bin spend four happy years wit dis family, wey she believe say na her her own, until di day her biological father bin come to collect her.

"I bin no get idea of wetin dey hapun. I just remember am . . . my foster mother just go suddenly and my father bin dey dia."

Her father and mother bin don separate by dis time. Dame Ijeoma only discover say her stepmother no be her biological mother wen she bin dey around 10 years old.

Di unasked quesion

Dame Ijeoma eventually meet her biological mother wen she bin dey 13 years.

"She bin happy well-well, veri happy to meet me, and she bin dey very nervous; she bin dey shake wen we bin hug each oda. To me, she be stranger, but we bin get wonderful weekend."

By dis time, Dame Ijeoma na one of six children, so spending time wit her mother — wey bin dey live wit her younger sister — na change of pace.

"I bin dey alone wit two adults and bin get all dia attention. We go go shopping, and I bin end up wit suitcase wey gifts full inside. All I bin need to do na to just look at wetin I like, and she don ask me, 'You want am?'"

Wetin dem no address na why her mother bin dey so absent from her life.

"I bin feel like say if I ask di question, di ansa fit dey hard for her, and maybe for me too — so I no ask. I just enjoy di moment."

One year afta dat meeting, her mother bin move to di United States, wia e no tey before she die at di age of 33.

"I bin scream in pain — I bin neva imagine say I no go see her again," Dame Ijeoma remember.

She bin don lose her foster mother, her stepmother and her biological mother — but she bin still get her father.

"[Im]truly be incredible pesin. By di end of im life, im bin get many children — 11 in total — but im bin still dey always care for me. Im no dey forget my birthday, im dey play wit us everytime, read us stories [and] im go carry us go zoo," she tok.

Dame Ijeoma remember how im bin dey always dream of returning to Nigeria, but im bin feel say im no go fit sake of di Biafran war.

She remember as im dey pull back evritime: "I go go back next year. We go go back."

Moving to Nigeria

Dame Ijeoma grow up for di UK, and na di time wen racism bin dey hot well-well

Although she bin get excellent teacher wey dey tell her evritime say, "You fit do anytin you want," e bin still dey hard for her to do am.

"I no see mysef as a professional, because I bin no see anyone like me for dos professions," she tok.

But dat tinking change dramatically wen her father bin finally carry dia family come back to Nigeria.

"I bin dey leave all my friends for faraway place I bin no know " Dame Ijeoma tok. "I act bravely, but I remember as I bin dey waka enta di headmistress office to tell her say I dey go and I burst into tears. Notin fit console me and to make me happy me, she say, 'You go get a sunny Christmas!' And I begin to cry even more."

In fact, even di sun no go dey kind to her.

Shortly afta we arrive Nigeria, she bin suffer severe sunburn and bin dey for bed for months. Doctors discover say she bin dey allergic to strong sun exposure.

Change of perspective

Wen she finally enta school, tins no too improve like dat.

"E bin dey very hard to accept us. I bin look like say I get severe burns, I dey speak strangely, and I bin no experience di war. Pipo tok say I only come back because tins don beta," she explain.

Yet all around her na still "devastation", wey chronic and unpredictable electricity and water supply make tins worse.

For di UK, she bin dey top her class evritime for school, and also very popular. For Nigeria, she get to adjust to studying unfamiliar subjects.

"Di only [ones] wey bin dey di same na science and maths, so I hold dem strong because I understand dem."

And na big fortune for her future career and, if we look back, e bin light up her desire to go university.

"Na di best tin wey bin eva hapun to me," she tok.

Finding love

At 16, Dame Ijeoma enta university to study Pharmacy. She later get Master's degree, marry and born three daughters — but her relationship with her husband eventually scata.

Dis na one of di reasons why she return to di UK. Di oda one na di hope say opportunities dey plenti.

"I bin wan become scientist, and wit Nigeria infrastructure e bin dey difficult," she explain. But few pipo believe in her.

"Dem bin laugh me, dem say I no go get enough money and say poverty go bring me back."

Wit little money and her three daughters, she arrive London and soon, she see hersef for homeless shelter.

Evritin bin hard well-well.

"At one point, 11 families bin dey share di same bathroom; sometimes dem go close di kitchen and we no go fit cook. And di staff bin dey treat us anyhow. I bin stay dia for seven months, and wen I comot, e bin feel like say dem release me from prison."

Despite di hardship, she say she no eva consider even once to return to Nigeria.

E no tay she begin search for doctoral research positions in nanotechnology - di study of tiny particles.

Di scholarship bin no big well-well, but she receive govment support to pay her rent.

Three years later, she bin attend one conference wey change her life again "wey I no even imagine".

Na dia, she bin met Prof Andreas Schätzlein - one German scientist. Afta just four days, she say bin fall "madly in love".

Di enormity of di miniscule

Eventually he move to di UK. "Im leave evritin to be wit me," she tok.

Prof Schätzlein no only become her husband, but also her professional partner.

Imagine one nanoparticle wey small well-well — sometin wey dey less dan one-thousandth di width of human being hair — and e dey so accurate to di point wey e fit deliver medicine exactly wia di body need am, e dey boost effectiveness and also reduce side effects. Na wetin dem do.

"Wen you take medicine — weda as liquid from mouth or as tablet or by injection — e dey eventually reach di bloodstream and all di organs. But sometimes no be wetin we want, because no be all di organs need to dey affected. Na for nanoparticle-based medicines di solution dey", Dame Ijeoma explain.

"If dis nanoparticles target only di affected area and leave di healthy tissues, di risk of side effects go reduce."

Dis side effects fit range from di devastating impact of chemotherapy to di addiction wey medications wey dem dey prescribe for severe pain, dey cause, like morphine or fentanyl.

Di two of dem dey for di process to develop nanoparticles to deliver drugs wey dey for hard-to-reach areas for di body, like di back of di eye and di brain.

Wit clinical trials wey dey go on, dem dey hope to treat blindness wit eye drops, transform pain relief and help solve di opioid crisis.

Finding time for laughter

Dame Ijeoma now dey connected to both University College London (UCL) and di University of Cambridge for di UK.

But her passion for science don also lead her to explore humour as one way to share her message.

"I bin realise say my jokes dey get more attention from students. So I decide to dey do am well, I bin take 10-weeks comedy course." Dis course include, stand-up performance for London theatre. "[E bin dey fear me] — but for di end, I bin get a fantastic time."

Sentiments wey be like say e dey mirror di journey of her extraordinary life up till now.



Ijeoma mean "good journey"— na name wey Prof Uchegbu parents give her wen dem arrive for di UK



Prof Uchegbu na young child wit her adoptive sisters for Kent, England



Dame Ijeoma father bin dey tok evritime say dem go go back to Nigeria.



Dame Ijeoma bin meet up wit her biological mother for London afta many years



Dame Ijeoma wen she dey 16, years for di University of Benin, Nigeria.