Ijeoma Uchegbu: From homeless mama of three to renowned scientist

King Charles appoint Ijeoma Uchegbu as di Dame Commander of di Order of di British Empire for di work wey she don do for chemical science and to boost inclusion and diversity.

But dis no be mata of overnight recognition, dis work carry Ijeoma enta homeless shelter, foster home and trip to and from Nigeria bifor she come tanda gidigba for di space wey she dey so.

Her work for chemical science na to do nanomedicine so dat pipo fit direct di medicine to di part of di bodi wey need am to reduce di risk of side effects, especially for tins like chemotherapy for cancer patients.

But wen she bin dey small she bin reason say all she fit be na worker for shop but trip to Nigeria clear dat mata from her head quickly.

Ijeoma go foster care for her parents to school

Ijeoma parents enta UK for 1960 to come go school, at dat time her mama bin get her belle but she tok say dem sacrifice wella so she go fit to study for UK.

She tok say "dem call me Ijeoma wey mean 'good trip' as dem hope say tins go go well for dem for dia new kontri".

Her mama bin dey study for di London School of Economics while di papa bin dey study electrical engineering.

So dem carry am put for foster home for Kent wey tori be say at dat time na normal tin for West African students wey get pikin to do.

Na so she dey stay wit di foster family for four years until wen her papa come pick am one day.

As she no sabi dis man from anywia, she say "I just remember say may Aunt Pa as I bin call my adoptive mama just disappear and suddenly my papa dey dia".

By, dat time her mama and papa no dey again, and na till Ijeoma realise di woman wey dey her papa house na her step mama. She say, "na di first time I reason say anoda mama dey".

She meet ger biological mama wen she be 13 years.

As she remember am, "she bin dey very happy to see me and she bin dey shake wen we hug. For me, she be stranger but we bin get great weekend".

She recall say na her mama and her younger sister dey stay togeda so dem buy plenti tins give am.

But dat na di last time Ijeoma see her birth mama as di woman go US one year afta dem see and kpai for dia for di age of 33.

She bin lose her adoptive mama, step mama and now her biological mama, but her papa tanda gidigba for her.

She hail am say na incredible pesin e be and say by di end of im life "e get plenti pikin dem like in all 11 but e bin dey very attentive to am."

How trip to Nigeria change her life

Ijeoma grow for UK wia racism yapa and she no get role models for life so she bin reason say she go work for shop as she no see pesin wey resemble her wey dey do professional work

But all dis tins go change wen dem allow her papa to go back Nigeria.

She remember say di whole mata make am very sad bicos she bin dey go far place wey she no know.

As she land fo Nigeria, even di sun do am strong tin, na later she go find out say she dey allergic to intence sun exposure.

Even wen she go school, di change in curriculum shock am and so she go put her self dey study mathematics and science bicos na di only tin wey dey like wetinshe bin dey study for UK.

But na dis waka change her mind for wetin she go be wen she grow up.

She say, "I dump my plan to be shop worker almost two days afta I land for Niger. One man tell me say, "which kain nonsense you dey tok say oyu no go go University?" Na di best tin wey happun to me bicos e ginger my dreams".

From homeless shelter to her dreams

By 16 years, Ijeoma go University to study plarmacy, she also gbab Masters, marry and born three girls,

But her marriage bin no dey go welll na wen she begin dey reason to go back UK bicos she bin wan bicom scientist and for Nigeria e go hard.

She say, "dem laugh me say na poverty go chase me come back".

But she run am street , pack her three pikin dem, japa nad soon afta she enta homeless shelter.

She recall say, "I stay dia for seven months and wen I comot e be like say I dey comot prison."

But she no reason Nigeria at all bicos if she reason her bad marriage, she go adjst agaon.

Na dat time she start to find research work so she go fit use am pursue doctorate degree. She choose wetin tell am to research wetin she bin know about: Tiny Partocles.

She say, "e bin dey completely new, nobodi bin dey reason nanotechnology."

Di scholarship bin no dey much but e give am goment assistance so she go fit pay rent.

Na until three years later she go conference wia she go meet her future husband.

Andreas G. Schätzlein, na German scientist wey she follow tok for four days only for am to fall very much in love.

But she bin dey form shy bicos she reason say e dey far so she oly give am address as e tell her say e love am.

She bin get letter from am but she no too reason am till e decide say e dey come United Kingdom to come stay wit her and her three pikin dem.

Andreas no just be her husband na her business patner

Wetin be Ijeoma work wey ginger her success

Wetin dem work on na nanoparticle wey go fit deliever medice directly to wia for di bodi wey need am and by doing go increase im effectiveness and reduce side effects.

Dis effects fit be like di one wey chemotherapy dey do to addiction wey drugs for severe pain like morphine fit cause.

Ijeoma and Andreas also create nanoparticles wey go carry drugs wey go carry medicine enta places for bodi wey no dey easy to reack like di back of eye or brain.

Dem still dey do clinical trials. but di hope be say dem go fit treat blindness wit eye drops, change pain releif and solve di opiod wahala.

Now Ijeoma Uchegbu na professor of pharmaceutical nanoscience for University College London (UCL) and president of Wolfson College for di University of Cambidge.

She find out say jokes bin dey make her students to dey listen more so madam carry herself go do comedy course for 10 weeks.

But no be joking mata as di training make am go do comedy perfomance for London theatre.

She now dey use for class and for many of her presentations.

But andoa meeting wey go add to di tori of her career come wen she go social science meeting for UCL.

She explain say, "di data show say pipo wey come from ethnic minority dey less likely to graduate wit honours or get promotion. And if you be woman from ethnic minority, di chance don even reduce more."

Na so Ijeoma get anoda ginger say she go find solution o.

She start dey enta departmens and faculties to give dem tools like to make sure say dia ethnic minorities students dey tok for class and ask dem to tok dia name. Or even as simple as adding ethnic minorities scientist to explain dia courses.

On top of dat, she dey proud say "we don also remove di names of eugencists from our buildings".

Eugencis na di discredited belief and practise wey dem go wan improve di human speciies genetics wit selective breeding.