Osonwa Elizabeth and Sylva at President’s Bash.
His parents worked in the Nigerian Civil Service (Enugu State Ministry of Health) were his mother was a midwife, and his father a Community Health Officer. His father’s job featured frequent transfers causing Sylva to attend six primary schools in six years. The Oduma people are primarily engaged in farming, with a strong reputation for cultivating rice and other arable crops. As my parents pursued careers outside the traditional occupations common in the village, they were regarded as educated and distinguished from the norm.
Sylva himself has a strong educational and professional background graduating with a Bachelor's in Applied Microbiology & Brewing Science (ESUTECH, Nigeria), a Diploma in Brewing, (IBD, UK) (J.J. Morison Scholarship 2010) and a Master's in Food, Nutrition & Health (UCD, Ireland) and is currently working towards a Master of Management (University of Niagara Falls, Canada). His professional career is no less varied with 4 years at Sona Brewing Plc (FT); 6 years at Heineken/Nigeria Breweries Plc (FT); 5 years at AB Inbev/International Breweries Plc (FT) and 1 year at Union Camerounaise de Brasseries (Hybrid). He is currently working at Niagara Region LTC (D.H. Rapelje Lodge, Welland). Along with Elizabeth, Sylva also co-founded Silizo Nigeria Limited (silizo.com.ng) an MSME involved in quality and food safety consultancy and training, as well as a Trading subsidiary known as Classic Fabrics & Accessories.
Sylva has a strong background in Rotary having joined the Rotaract Club of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUTECH), District 9140, Nigeria, in 2002 as an undergraduate. Demonstrating a strong passion and commitment to service, he was appointed International Service Director, a role he proudly held for two Rotary years (2002/2003 and 2023/2024). In this capacity, he regularly shared updates and news from Rotary International—covering projects, conferences, and global initiatives—to inspire and engage members of his club. After graduating, as his educational and professional background shows, he had to take a hiatus from Rotary and is just now able to re-commit himself to a Club.
However, in the interim Sylva and family were no strangers to giving back to the Community. In 2014, they launched a scholarship program for pupils at Madonna Nursery and Primary School in Oduma-Achara (St. Dominic’s Catholic Parish) in Nigeria. The program began with four beneficiaries and has since expanded to support ten students. Three recipients have successfully graduated, marking significant progress in their commitment to promoting educational access and opportunity. Each child is sponsored at the rate of approximately $50/Child per year which covers school fees, uniform and books.