Dr. Kelechi Anyikude is a cultural ambassador who stands out from the crowd - a rare breed with a magnetic personality.
Having departed Nigeria eight years ago where he did his Bachelor’s degree in Bio-Chemistry, worked in government and also served his nation, his sojourn to the United Kingdom has seen him engaged in various community work and sports. Ever since, it is as if the call to serve, has proved to be his God-given assignment.
Culture advancement was not Kelechi’s first call when he berthed the in UK in 2010.
Kelechi Anyikude
Dr. Kelechi Anyikude
The Federal University of Technology Owerri graduate also attended the University of Leeds where he bagged his Masters and PhD degrees. However, the urge to portray his country - Nigeria in a more positive light and promote her culture, propelled Kelechi to serve as the President of the Nigerian Students Society at the University of Leeds for three years. Such was the belief in him that the students kept returning him to serve.
Finding himself in the spotlight through his appearance on Arsenal Fan TV, Kelechi seized the opportunity and the huge platform to exhibit Nigeria’s culture by wearing native Nigerian attires to football matches, singing Nigerian songs and speaking in his Nigerian accent. This endeared him to football and non-football fans worldwide. In fact, he changed the opinions of fans about Nigerians.
Kelechi has won numerous awards including the Best Nigerian Student President in the UK at the Nigerian UK-Based Achievers Awards, Youth Leadership Award at the Nigerian UK-Based Achievers Awards, Ndigbo Community Excellence Award, the ICON of the Year Award at the International Conference of Nigerian Students and My Green Gene Awards, UK.
Kelechi sits on the advisory board of various charities including Cancer Aware Nigeria and Nigerian Students’ Union, UK.
He is really passionate about Nigeria and is on the verge of setting up his NGO which will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, as a way of giving back to the society.
His hobbies include watching football, mentoring young people, and reading, travelling and listening to good music.
In 2017, Africa Youth Awards named him among the 100 Most Influential Young Africans, an initiative instituted to promote African youth movements and achieving and also restoring excellence in the works of young people across Africa.