Journey of
an African Boy
Rooted in Heritage, Shaped by Change
We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good.
Numbers 10:29 · PrologueBorn from the roots of the Ikoko people
Chukwuma Anselm Okojie was born on February 24, 1958, in Idumuje-Unor, Delta State — third of six surviving children. His lineage traces back to the Ikoko clan, migrants from Owo who settled along the Niger. Idumu means community.
A world shaped by war, harvest, and hard work
He navigated the tremors of the Biafran War, heard artillery echo from Ogwashi-Uku, pushed heavy cart loads through Lagos streets, tended farmland deep in the Nigerian bush. Not hardships to escape — lessons in endurance.
St. Pius X and the hunger to learn
Boarding at St. Pius Xth Grammar School in Onicha-Ugbo forged character and ambition. The rigour of a Catholic institution opened doors that subsistence farming never could. Every certificate was a passport to a wider world.
From Lagos to Poland — a life without borders
Few could imagine a boy from Delta State navigating East German checkpoints, attending a Polish village wedding, earning a degree abroad. Tucked in an old passport: ₦479.30 exchanged for $700 — every stamp a permission to dream bigger.
Own a Piece of
This Journey
"No condition is permanent" — painted on the side of a Gwon-Gworro truck in Warri. A life that proves it.
First Edition 2025 · Edited by Timeco Richardson · Illustrated by Sajni Okojie
"There was a time I pulled and pushed trucks through the backstreets of Lagos. A time when carrying firewood, fetching water from deep forest streams was simply life — ordinary and unquestioned."
In those moments, it was beyond imagining that one day he would board an airplane, let alone cross continents, speak in lecture halls, or sit in rooms where decisions that shape nations are made.
Yet here he is. And he did not walk alone. This book is the story of millions — boys and girls born in silence, who rose through struggle, who carried their dignity like a birthright.
The Journey
Chukwuma
Anselm Okojie
Born in 1958 in Idumuje-Unor, Delta State, Nigeria, Chukwuma Anselm Okojie has lived a life spanning continents, cultures, and eras — from subsistence farming villages and Lagos market streets to European universities and Cold War border crossings.
A man of deep faith, sharp intellect, and remarkable adaptability. He has witnessed Nigeria's post-independence evolution, civil war, military coups, and the diaspora experience — and returned to tell it all with uncommon honesty and warmth.
"I wrote this to remember. I wrote this so the world will not forget."
From the back cover