A Nigerian-American Voice for Accountability By Fatima Ikram Abubakar
In a world where national criticism is too often mistaken for disloyalty, Ejike Uche Okpa—better known as E.E. Okpa—stands apart. At 65, the founder of The OKPA Company is a Nigerian-American who doesn’t just speak truth to power; he confronts it with clarity, courage, and an unshakable bond to his homeland. Born and raised in Enugu State, Okpa’s journey from the coal city to the skyscrapers of Dallas is more than a migration story—it is a personal and national odyssey.
On August 1, during an unguarded conversation with PRNigeria interns in Abuja, Okpa spoke with the kind of candour that disarms and challenges in equal measure. For over an hour, he mixed humour with hard truths, inviting his young audience to think beyond slogans and sentiment.
When asked about his life in Nigeria before relocating to the United States, he recalled buying a plane ticket from Enugu to Dallas via Lagos and London for just ₦698.50 in 1985—when the naira was nearly twice the value of the U.S. dollar. “Today,” he quipped, “that amount cannot even buy you a bottle of beer.” The joke was laced with sorrow. For him, it symbolised Nigeria’s squandered economic potential—a nation that once inspired confidence but has been eroded by decades of mismanagement.
Many know Okpa for his bold critiques of Nigeria online and in public forums, but he draws a fine distinction: “I’m not criticizing Nigeria. I’m being critical of Nigeria. There’s a difference.” To him, criticism rooted in hope is an act of loyalty. He urges young Nigerians to adopt that mindset—“be critical without criticizing”—by holding both themselves and their leaders accountable.
For Okpa, leadership is about persuasion, not compulsion. “Authority tells you what to do. Leadership convinces you why you should do it,” he said. He believes true change begins at the smallest units of society—families, communities, local councils—not just in presidential palaces. But he also identifies a deep-rooted cultural challenge: selfishness. “Many Nigerians are self-centred. They care only about their personal gain, not the nation’s interest. Until that changes, not much else will.”
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To simplify his vision for progress, Okpa proposes the “PIKE Factor”—People, the foundation of any nation; Information, which empowers; Knowledge, which must be practical; and Exposure, which broadens horizons. He argues that while Nigeria should adapt some American systems—such as decentralised policing, transparent governance, and functional utilities—it must do so thoughtfully. “You don’t copy and paste,” he cautions. “You customize. The problem isn’t capacity—it’s organisation.”
Okpa has lived this philosophy of participation. He made history as the first native African to run for mayor in a U.S. university town, later contesting for Congress in Texas, funding his own campaign with over $200,000—not to collect titles, but to prove that Africans can and should engage politically. Asked if he would ever run for office in Nigeria, he paused before answering: “If Enugu asked, ‘What will it take for you to return?’—then that’s a conversation.”
He notes that the current “Japa” wave—Nigerians emigrating en masse—is not new; migration to the U.S. dates back over a century. What has changed, he says, is intent. “In the past, they left to return. Now, they leave to stay.” For him, reversing the brain drain requires tangible incentives: reliable electricity, water, jobs, and security. “If your village had all these, why would you leave?”
Okpa’s connection to Nigeria is complex but enduring. Married to a Yoruba woman, with one child in the U.S. Marines and another in healthcare, he remains emotionally invested in his country of birth. “I still serve Nigeria—with my voice, my ideas, and my refusal to give up,” he said. His style may be blunt, even abrasive, but the substance of his message is difficult to ignore. He holds up an unflinching mirror to a nation still searching for its reflection.
Born into a prominent Eastern Nigerian family—his father a chief, his sister a former First Lady of Gombe State—Okpa did not leave Nigeria out of hardship but out of conviction. A graduate of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, he later earned a degree from Harvard’s School of Design in 2006. In 1995, he became a U.S. citizen, not to escape Nigeria, but to broaden his reach.
Ultimately, Ejike Okpa’s story is not one of exile, but of engagement. His belief in Nigeria is not naïve—it is forged in realism. He demands better, not because he has abandoned hope, but because he refuses to settle for less. And that, perhaps, is the truest form of patriotism.
Fatima Ikram Abubakar is a PRNigeria Intern
