Collins E. Ijoma

Collins Ijoma at a National Association for Court Management meeting

Collins E. Ijoma was the first Nigerian and youngest person to obtain the position of Trial Court Administrator in the United States.

Early life

Ijoma was born in Imo State, Nigeria to a trader and a housewife. When he was 10 years old, the Nigerian Civil War broke out in southeastern Nigeria. After the war ended, he was sent to neighboring Cameroon to live with his older brother and continue high school.

Higher education and career

In 1976, Ijoma left Cameroon for New Jersey, where he attended Essex County College, Seton Hall University and earned a M.P.A. degree. He was employed as a security guard at a warehouse in Newark.