Ifeoma Amuche: What we know about the Nigerian who studied world’s most difficult language in China
From entertainment to sports, tech, and academics, young Nigerians continue to put the country on the global map of excellence with their exploits. It wasn’t surprising when another Nigerian student Ifeoma Amuche made news headline on Thursday, June 22, 2023, after she was selected to give the valedictory speech at Southwest University China.
Nigeria, a country rich in culture and talent, has given birth to a multitude of exceptional individuals who have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields.
It was another feat for Nigeria when Ifeoma Amuche a Nigerian-born who studied Chinese at Southwest University China was selected to give the valedictory speech out of over 9,500 graduates.
From music and film to technology and entrepreneurship, Nigerians across the world are making significant contributions and leaving an indelible mark. Ifeoma Amuche who delivered her valedictory speech in Mandarin, which according to US Department of State is considered one of the world’s most ‘super-hard’ languages to learn for native English speakers, wowed many with her fluency in language.
As video of her graduation speech continues to circulate on social media and serve as a source of hope and inspiration to many youths, another Nigerian, James Nnaji, an 18-year-old who grew up in Makurdi, Nigeria, was drafted to the 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday, June 22, 2023.
Here’s what we know about Ifeoma Amuche.
Ifeoma Amuche hails from Eziabor village in Oko, one of the 16 towns that make up Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Alex Ekwueme, Nigeria’s first elected vice president between 1979 and 1983, hails from Oko.
Education:
After completing her secondary school education at First Hill Secondary School Umuchiana in Ekwulobia, Ifeoma Amuche attended Federal Polytechnic Oko, where she studied Library and Information Science before moving to China in 2019.
While Amuche stated that she moved to China in 2019, a Facebook post she shared on her birthday on March 29, 2018, was partly written in Chinese, suggesting that she might have had prior knowledge of the language before relocating to the country.
“And it all ended in praise. Thank you, Jesus, for a safe and sound journey. China, please be nice,” she wrote on her Facebook on March 10, 2019.
Although there is no proof of the specific year, Amuche claimed on her LinkedIn page that she worked at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos as a Chinese translator for a year. She later worked at Sinoki LTD Abuja as a Secretary and a Chinese translator, supposedly before relocating to China.
While majoring in Chinese Language and Literature at Southwest University China, Amuche joined the International Student Poetry Performance Club and contributed to the group’s win of the 2022 ASEAN Art Festival Poetry Reading Prize, surpassing 25 countries. Since the video of her graduation speech went viral on the internet, many have been commending her as they also claimed she was the university’s best-graduating student. Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi also made the claim in his congratulatory message. Neusroom could not immediately confirm this claim as Amuche is yet to respond to Neusroom’s request for comment.
With nearly a billion native speakers, there is a growing demand for Mandarin Chinese interpreters in the business, legal, and political sectors. Amuche, who completed an online course on International Organisations for Interpreters on Coursera in March 2022, can leverage the significant demand for Chinese interpreters, particularly in government.
