From death row, drug peddling and homelessness, they never gave up and succeeded academically

Florence Nwando Onwusi Didigu

She is the definition of the saying: Patience is a virtue. Fifty years after surviving the brutal two-year Nigeria–Biafra war, Didigu is now a doctorate holder.

The 73-year-old in April graduated from Howard University with Ph.D. in communication, culture, and media studies – a program that trains students on understanding communication challenges within a multicultural world and addresses social justice inequities on a global scale.

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The oldest of five sisters, Didigu’s titled her dissertation, “Igbo Collective Memory of the Nigeria – Biafra War (1967-1970): Reclaiming Forgotten Women’s Voices and Building Peace through a Gendered Lens”.