The Imafidon family from Edo State, Nigeria, has earned the prestigious title of being the smartest family in the United Kingdom, if not the world. Comprising Chris and Ann Imafidon and their five exceptional children, this family’s remarkable academic achievements have captivated global audiences

Over 30 years ago, Chris and Ann Imafidon migrated to England, bringing with them a deep commitment to education. Chris Imafidon, a renowned professor and multi-award-winning scientist, dedicated his life to nurturing young talents, starting with his children. His work has been featured in over 1,500 major media outlets including CNN, BBC, and The New York Times.

Chris Imafidon’s innovative approach to education focuses on personalized learning methods, which he believes can transform any child into a high achiever. His philosophy has certainly paid off, as evidenced by the outstanding accomplishments of his children.

Ann-Marie Imafidon, the eldest, was speaking six languages by the age of 10. She broke records as the youngest girl to pass the U.K.’s A-level computing exam at 13. By 15, she was admitted to the University of Oxford, where she completed her master’s degree at age 19. She is the youngest ever to complete a Master’s degree from Oxford.

Because of her incredible academic success, Ann-Marie was described as a “serial world record breaker” by the ‘Higher Education Digest’ in its September 2011 edition. In 2013, she became the CEO of Stemettes, an organization promoting women’s participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). For her contributions, she was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE.

She launched her own Stemettes STEM resources app, in 2016, which is used by thousands of “Stemillion” school club members and is working with several media companies to put more tech role models on screen. Ms. Imafidon also co-founded ‘Outbox Incubator’, the world’s first tech incubator for teenage girls.

Christiana Imafidon, the second child also made her mark early, receiving a mathematics award at age nine. She went on to write ‘Maths Manual’ to help her friends struggling with mathematics. She also made waves by entering university at age 11. She conducted groundbreaking research at Oxford and became the youngest person to be accepted to a British university at an undergraduate level.

She earned a government scholarship to study at undergraduate level, before receiving eight scholarships to the top schools in the country. Christiana is now an International Speaker and has been recognized as ‘The Most Influential Woman in Financial Technology’. She later got featured in Brummell Magazine’s “30 Ones to Watch,” a prestigious publication catering to high powered people in the City and Europe’s Financial Community.

Samantha Imafidon amazed the academic community by taking high school exams at just six years old and entering secondary school at nine. She played a pivotal role in mentoring her younger siblings who followed in her footsteps. Samantha is also a champion athlete in the 100m and 200m relays.

She has also featured on TV stations BBC, Sky News, and ITV News and has been invited on the Oprah Winfrey show. She is now a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. As a software engineer and data scientist, she has developed AI systems for various industries.

The youngest of the Imafidons, Paula and Peter, are popularly known as the “Wonder Twins”. They are the youngest students to attend a British secondary school. Their academic excellence includes acing mathematics exams at the University of Cambridge.

Beyond academics, the 14-year-old twins are accomplished athletes and aspiring musicians. Peter is a 100m and 400m relay champion in London and Paula is a county rugby champion. Peter dreams of becoming Prime Minister, while Paula aims to teach math.

The family’s exceptional achievements have been attributed to the unique educational model developed by Chris Imafidon. His methods have been used as a blueprint for improving scholarship across Europe and Asia. “If you really want a child to learn anything, find out the best way that child learns. Every human being has a unique way of learning,” says Chris Imafidon, emphasizing the importance of personalized education. He notes that in his own family, if one child had a reading assignment, there was a communal effort.

The Imafidon family’s story reveals the importance of education and the extraordinary potential that lies within every child. Their success in the diaspora not only brings pride to Nigeria and Africa, it serves as an inspiration for families and educators worldwide.

ALSO READ: Nigerian-Born Praise Olatoke Makes NFL Strides, Shining Bright as a Rising Star