Meet The 8 Nigerian Americans Who Won Elective Seats In The US Midterm Elections

Nigeria, no doubt, is blessed with many young, vibrant, and talented individuals, many of whom are doing well for themselves, making a good name for their families, and representing the country well both at home and in the diaspora.

It is believed that of all the nations in the world, there’s a presence of Nigerians who might have relocated to the country or are citizens of such a country either by birth, registration, or other means of acquiring citizenship.

Recently, eight Nigerian-Americans emerged winners in their respective elective positions contested in the US midterm elections in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and the District of Columbia districts of the United States.

In Georgia State, Segun Adeyina, Gabe Okoye, Solomon Adesanya, Tish Naghise, and Phil Olaleye all won their legislative seats as State Representatives in their districts.

Carol Kazeem was elected to the Pennsylvania State Representative seat in District 159, Esther Agbaje was re-elected to the Minnesota State Representative seat in District 59B, and Dr. Oye Owolewa was re-elected to the United States House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington, D.C.

Here’s all you need to know about these eight Nigerian Americans:

SEGUN ADEYIINA

Segun Adeyina is a Nigerian-born IT expert with professional skills in database management, IT strategy, data center management, and as a system developer.

Born in Nigeria after his parents returned from the UK, He had his elementary schooling at St. Mary’s private school in Lagos State, after which he proceeded to the Federal Government College in Ilorin, Kwara State, for his secondary school leaving certificate. 

He attended St. Gregory’s College for his A-level certificate and got admitted to the University of Lagos. After spending a year at Unilag, Segun was transferred to study electrical engineering at the University of Akron in Ohio, America. 

He holds a master’s degree in management information systems and has extensive work experience in the automotive industry, having worked at General Motors between July 2012 and August 2014 and as an IT domain planner and liaison in the same company from September 2014 till date.

Between April 2011 and July 2012, he was the technical project manager at Commercial Bank Auburn Hill, MI. 

He was a principal consultant at the Urban Resources Center and a senior system analyst at Ascertion Health System. He was an instructor at the Wayne County Community College District between June 1994 and October 1995. He was also an analyst at Cap Gemini in America between 1994 and 1995.

GABE OKOYE

The Nigerian-born politician moved to the United States of America in 1981 and has been residing in Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta and headquarters of Gwinnett County, since 1992. 

He is a passionate and professional engineer and the CEO and President of Essex Geoscience, Inc. He was the project engineer, Ebasco/Foster Wheeler Environmental between 1993-1999

He currently serves on the Executive Committee Board of the Gwinnett and state chapters of the Democratic Party and is the former Chairman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party.

Under Gabe’s leadership of the party, the party elected the first black commissioner, the first black school board member, and also the first black Solicitor-General of the county in its 200-year history as of 2018, a historic achievement in Gwinnett. 

The Georgia House of Representatives recognised this achievement in Resolution 313 of 2019, which designated Nov. 6 of that year as Gabe Okoye Leadership Day.

SOLOMON ADESANYA

Solomon Adesanya is an entrepreneur and an American politician who ran for and won the State House of Representatives in District 43.

He is a second-generation American. He migrated to Cobb County and believed in his dream of achieving it and making it come true in America. His late father, Olu Adesanya, relocated to America in 1981.

Solomon is an entrepreneur; he is the founder and owner of a restaurant in Cobb County and continually seeks ways to improve his community. 

He’s committed to working tirelessly on immediate and long-term solutions for his constituency and every Georgian, and has volunteered on several campaigns to ensure an inclusive society for our democracy.

TISH NAGISHE 

Tish Nagishe is the chair of the Atlanta Chapter of the Climate Reality Project. She’s also the co-chair of the Gore Climate Reality Project in Atlanta. 

She studied paralegal studies at Emory University, political science and government at Clayton State University, and holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from Clayton State University.

Tish Nagishe has worked and held various positions in different companies and organisations. She worked as the EDI analyst at Cahaba GBA for over ten years. Since 2016, she has been the owner and operator of T&C Transportation Inc. She’s the engagement organiser at Georgia Conversation Voters, as well as the SHRM campus vice president at Clayton State University.

PHIL OLALEYE

Phil is the son of an immigrant. A young politician who grew up in a working-class family in Stone Mountain, Georgia.  

He has a Bachelor of Art degree (B.A) in Public Policy and Economic from Duke University from 2003-2007, and holds a master’s degree in Social and Urban Policy from Harvard Kennedy School from 2012-2014

Phil was a director at WorkSource Atlanta, helping job seekers receive skills training and support to increase their employability and access career paths. He’s the president of Summerhill Neighbourhood. He was also the sales and trading analyst at Citi as well as a former consultant at the National Park Service Business Management Group.

CAROL KAZEEM

Caro Kazeem is an activist, a child advocate, and a Delaware County resident. She works in trauma-informed outreach and violence interruption, hosting many protests calling for positive changes to reduce homelessness, education inequity, and gun violence, and raising awareness about voting rights issues.

She attended Chester Unplanned School District and also has a High School Diploma from Ridley High School, as well as an Associate degree from Anthem College in 2013.

DR. OYE OWOLEWA

Owolewa was born in Nigeria, to a father from Omu Aran in Kwara State and a mother from Ilesa in Osun State. He is a vibrant politician, pharmacist, and member of the Democratic Party.

He was raised in Newton, Massachusetts, where he attended Boston Latin School and graduated in 2008. He earned a doctorate degree in pharmacy from Northeastern University in 2014 and moved to Washington, DC, to practice pharmacy.

In 2014, he started working as a pharmacist, and he was a Cardinal GenerationRX Champions award winner. He also co-chaired D.C.’s first-ever vegetarian restaurant week.

ESTHER AGBAJE

Esther Agbaje was born on March 19, 1985. She is a Nigerian-American attorney and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

She graduated from George Washington University with a B.A. in political science, the University of Pennsylvania with a M.P.A., and Harvard University with a J.D.

Agbaje previously served at the United States Department of State as a foreign service officer. She is an associate attorney with Ciresi Conlin LLP, where she practices in general civil litigation and medical malpractice