How Dr. Horeb Midjochedo Anthony is making waves Multilingual Communicator and Researcher

By Tosin Clegg

When the Ogu General Assembly in Nigeria wrote to congratulate Dr. Horeb Midjochedo Anthony on earning his doctorate from the University of Mississippi earlier this year, the letter described him as “enterprising, resilient, and committed to excellence.” Those words capture well the life and work of a young scholar who has consistently broken barriers, championed minority languages, and carved a path that bridges cultures across continents.
Dr. Anthony’s academic story is one of steady ascent. After excelling as an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in French Language and Francophone Studies in 2015, he went on to complete his Master’s degree in 2019, focusing on the comparative grammar of French and Gugbe. His intellectual curiosity and dedication to linguistic research culminated in 2025 with a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Mississippi. His dissertation, A Sociolinguistic Analysis of the Activities of the Ogu General Assembly Toward the Preservation of Gugbe in Nigeria, is another landmark contribution to language documentation and sociolinguistics, especially with his use of artificial intelligence, specifically a large language model in his data analysis.
Along the way, Anthony has not only published in leading journals but also spoken at international conferences including the Annual Conference on African Linguistics and the Southeastern Conference on Linguistics. His research covers translation, language pedagogy, digital humanities, and the intersections of language, identity, and technology. This year, he is working on important research on artificial intelligence and minority languages, reflecting his ability to merge tradition with innovation. He is looking into how Large Language Models react to data that contains a mixture of a majority language (English) and a minority language (Gugbe for instance, especially using a variation of Gugbe).
At the core of Dr. Anthony’s scholarly passion is Gugbe, a language spoken by the Ogu people across Nigeria and Benin Republic. Long overlooked by policymakers and education systems, Gugbe faces the risk of erosion in the face of dominant languages like English and French. Through his research, advocacy, and publications—including his 2025 paper Derivational Morphology and Compounding: A Descriptive Study Towards Enhancing the Learning and Teaching of Gugbe—Anthony has helped draw fresh attention to this language.
What many may not realize is that Gugbe extends far beyond West Africa. In the United States, interpreters of Gugbe are increasingly in demand in immigration courts, hospitals, and community services. For many immigrants, the ability to communicate in their native tongue at such critical moments is not just a matter of convenience, but of justice and dignity. Anthony’s work has therefore carried both academic and humanitarian weight, ensuring that Gugbe continues to be recognized as a vital vehicle of identity, belonging, and communication.
Anthony’s classroom journey began with his part time French teacher positions in many primary and secondary private schools, and adjunct lecturer of French Language at Mountain Top University, in Nigeria. His academic prowess and his reputation as a passionate teacher earned him the position of Graduate Assistant at the University of Lagos, where he rose to serve as an Assistant Lecturer in French between 2016 and 2020. Over the years, he has taught courses in French language, applied linguistics, and intercultural communication, always with an emphasis on creativity and student engagement. In 2013, he won the student-teacher award from the Nigerian French Language Village. In 2024, his teaching excellence was recognized with a nomination for the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of Mississippi. That recognition cemented his place among the rising generation of African academics making an impact globally.
What sets Anthony apart even more is his multi-communication ability. Fluent in English, French, Gugbe, and Yoruba, with a basic knowledge of Spanish, he has used language as a bridge between communities. But his skills go far beyond classroom and conference settings. He has helped borderline communities break linguistic barriers, and as a radio host at Rebel Radio in Mississippi, he launched Afrobeats and Overseas Vibes, a program that celebrated African and Caribbean culture through music and discussion. The show not only entertained but also educated listeners on the importance of multilingualism in a globalized world. Earlier in Lagos, he volunteered as a broadcaster in French at the University of Lagos Radio station, training the next generation of bilingual journalists through a collaboration with Alliance Française and the French Embassy. His voice has traveled even further—through stints as a correspondent for Liberte FM in Chicago and as a bilingual journalist for Afro Web TV in Ohio. Whether reading news in French, engaging audiences in English, or interpreting in Gugbe, Anthony embodies the role of a global communicator who thrives in diverse cultural spaces.
He is also a fellow of the Global Association for Research and Innovation (FeGari) and a member of several international linguistic and scholarly associations, from the Linguistic Society of America to the Association of Contemporary African Linguists. He has also been inducted as a member of the Nigerian Center of Productivity and Public Service. In an era where conversations about inclusion, cultural diversity, and globalization dominate public discourse, Dr. Horeb Midjochedo Anthony stands as a model of what it means to be both locally rooted and globally relevant. His academic achievements, dedication to Gugbe preservation, and multilingual talents demonstrate that language is not just a tool of communication, but also a weapon for identity, survival, and empowerment.
As the Ogu General Assembly noted in their congratulatory letter, Anthony’s success is “cheering, highly inspiring and motivating.” For young scholars in Africa and beyond, his story is proof that resilience and vision can transform not only personal destiny but also the future of entire communities.