Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike OFR, NNOM (28 April 1931 – 9 January 2020) was a Nigerian monarch, academic and writer known for a mixture of lampoon, humor and satire. He owed a little bit of his style to his

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

cultural upbringing. He studied history, English and Religious Studies at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

and earned a master's degree at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

.''Routledge Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English.'' Among many of the first generation of Nigerian writers, he was popular as the author of ''Expo '77'', a critical look at academic examination abuses in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

. Ike was a former registrar of the

West African Examinations Council The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is an examination board established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest in the English-speaking West African countries, to conduct the examinations and to award certif ...

(WAEC).

Life and career

Early life

Ike was born into a royal family in Ndikelionwu in

Anambra state Anambra State is a Nigerian state, located in the southeastern region of the country. The state was created on August 27, 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State to the south, Enugu State to the east and Kogi State ...

. He attended

Government College Umuahia Government College Umuahia, or GCU, is an independent secondary school for boys located on Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road in Umuahia, Nigeria. Twenty years after the establishment of Kings College, the first government-owned high school, by the Britis ...

for secondary education. He started writing at Umuahia for the school magazine, ''The Umuahian'', and he was also influenced by teachers that included

Saburi Biobaku Saburi Oladeni Biobaku CMG (1918–2001) was a Nigerian scholar, a historian who was among a set of Yoruba historians who followed the pioneering effort of Samuel Johnson in setting the foundations of Yoruba historiography and creating reference ...

, who had honours in English from Cambridge. Some eminent Nigerian writers who attended the school include

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

Christopher Okigbo Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (16 August 1932 – 1967) was a Nigerian poet, teacher, and librarian, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet an ...

, and

Ken Saro Wiwa Kenule Beeson "Ken" Saro-Wiwa (10 October 1941 – 10 November 1995) was a Nigerians, Nigerian writer, television producer, and environmental activist. Ken Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homelan ...

. After completing his

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

, he studied at the University of Ibadan. While at the college, he was invited by Chinua Achebe to join the magazine club. He earned a bachelor of arts in History, English, and Religious Studies from the

in 1955, and got married in 1959 to Adebimpe Olurinsola Abimbolu. In 1965, he published his first novel ''Toads for Supper''. He earned a master's degree from

in 1966. A former registrar of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In 1971, became chief executive of

. In 2008, he became king of Ndikelionwu. His only son Prince Osita Ike Died in 2016. He was an Igwe, Eze Ndikelionwu of the Ndikelionwu in eastern Nigeria, with the title "Ikelionwu XI" in his hometown of Ndikelionwu in Anambra State.

Career

Ike served as a teacher in a primary school at Amichi from 1950 to 1951 and in a secondary school at

Nkwerre Nkwerre is one of the Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Areas in Imo State, South-East, Nigeria. It is situated in Nkwerre town where the name of the local government area was derived. Its population was placed at 80,270 from the ...

from 1955 to 1956. Between 1957 and 1960, he worked as an administrative assistant at

University College, Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 1962 ...

. He joined

University of Nigeria, Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

where he worked as the Deputy Registrar from 1960 to 1963 and Registrar and Secretary to the Council from 1963 to 1971. Ike had served in

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

as the Provincial Refugee Officer in charge of

Umuahia Umuahia () is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nig ...

Province from 1968 to 1969 and Headquarters Scout Commander in

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively referr ...

Province from 1970-71. After the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

, he was appointed Chairman, Planning and Management Committee of the

. He was responsible for reopening and managing the institution as the interim Chief Executive immediately after the war. He served as the Registrar of West African Examination Council from 1971 to 1979 as the first Nigerian Chief Executive of the organization. He had also worked with ''Daily Times'' and University Press plc as a Director in both organizations. He retired from public service in 1979 and became a visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a Federal University in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. ...

from 1983 - 1985. Between 1990 1991, he was the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Benin, Benin-City. He was the President, Nigerian Book Foundation from 1991 until his death in 2020.

Bibliography

* ''Toads for Supper'' (London: Harvill Press, 1965) * ''The Naked Gods'' (London: Harvill Press, 1970) * ''The Potter's Wheel'' (London: Harvill Press, 1973) * ''Sunset at Dawn'' (Collins & Harvill Press, 1976) * ''Expo '77'' (Fontana, 1980) * ''The Chicken Chasers'' (Fontana, 1980) * ''The Bottled Leopard'' (1985) * ''Our Children Are Coming'' (Ibadan: Spectrum Books 1990) * ''Conspiracy of Silence'' (Longman, 2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ike, Chukwuemeka 1931 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Nigerian writers Government College Umuahia alumni Igbo writers International Writing Program alumni Nigerian writers People from Anambra State Stanford University alumni University of Ibadan alumni