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On Sunday 23rd January 2011,
darkness fell over Egbema
of the Ohaji/Egbema
L.G.A
in Imo State .The irresistible
Professor(Chief) Gabriel
Maduka
Umezurike
of Egbema died.He was
74 yrs old. He
died after a
brief
illness. Very friendly and down to
earth, his death remains a shock to many.
Engr Peter Uzu my bosom friend stubbornly
refused to believe that ‘Prof’ had died when
i passed the sad news to him. I no believe
am, na lie you dey talk,he said.
Why blame Engr Peter, when i
too first got the news of his death,
i
didn’t believe it .I thought there
was a mixed up there, maybe,because of the
name.But thereafter i
got lot
of calls from people who had heard of
his death.Prof
Umezurike
was
such a nice fellow, not only to those who
were close to him but also to even those who
chanced him. It is a big
shock,a rude shock to say the least.
Prof
was nice to everybody. He was
worshiped in Egbema like a god. Everybody
that has come in contact
with
‘Prof’ will tell you he was
a
good man. He helped everybody from the very
little to the very old, from the lowest to
the highest. He had friends all over,
friends that cut across all ethnic
backgrounds.
Who
is this Prof
you are talking about, Ndubuisi Nweke,
my colleague asked me. So you no sabi
Professor Umezurike? Favour Odinga,another
collegue asked him. Professor
Gabriel Maduka
Umezurike , a distinguished
Nigerian
academic , a renowned Scientist in the field
of Biochemistry and a
former
University administrator? How you no go sabi
am?
Professor
G.M. Umezurike was a Nigerian
academic, former Vice chancellor and former
Secretary of Nigerian Universities
Commission. He was
born on the 29th of March 1936 at Obiakpu,
Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema
Local Government Area of Imo State. He
attended Methodist Boy,s High School, Lagos
(1951-1956); Federal Emergency Science
School, Lagos, (1959-1960); University
College Ibadan, (1961-1964); University of
Ibadan, (1964-1966) and University of London
(Burkbeck College) 1966-1967.
He started his working career as a Clerk
with the Federal Ministry of Finance, Lagos,
(December 1956-1958; and January September
1961).He was at the University of London for
his post-graudate studies.Due to his
excellent performance, he was employed to
serve as a Post-Doctoral Research
Demonstrator in Plant Biochemistry in 1967
at the University of Swansea, United
Kingdom. In October 1970 he moved to
University of Ghana as a lecturer in the
Department of Biochemistry, where he served
for three years, before he returned to
Nigeria on invitation to serve as a pioneer
member in the establishment of the
Department of Biochemistry, University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, where he was later
appointed Lecturer I in 1973; Senior
Lecturer in 1975; Reader (Associate
Professor) 1977; and Professor in 1979.
In 1981, Professor Umezurike was appointed
the first Deputy Vice Chancellor and Head of
College of Arts and Sciences of the Old Imo
State University Okigwe; and Vice-Chancellor
of the University in 1988.Due to his
excellent service, he was retained as the
Vice-Chancellor of the University even when
it was ceded to Abia State and renamed Abia
State University Uturu in 1993, despite the
fact that he was not from Abia State.
In addition to his contribution in the
academic filed, Professor Umezurike
served as
a
Member in Imo State Schools Management Board
from 1976-1978; Member Working Group on
Information and Postgraduate Training of the
Nigerian National Committee of the African
Bio-Sciences Network (1986); and Member of
the Nigerian Universities Recruitment Team
for the United Kingdom and Europe
(1985),Secretary of Nigerian Universities
Commission and
Chairman of 2010 Ahiajioku Lecture
Professor Umezurike has written a number of
scientific articles in the area of
Bio-Chemistry among which are, Cellulolytic
activities of Botryodiplodia theobromae
pat.Annals of Botany (1969); Killetic
Properties of B-glucosidase from Botryodia
Plodia Theobromae Pat Biochimicaet
Biophysica Acta 250, 182-1971, (1981) The B-glucosidase
from Botryodiplodiaha theobromae: Mechanism
of enzyme action (1981).The effect of
glycerol on the activity of B-glucosidase
from Botroyodiplodia theobromae Pat (1988).
Professor Umezurike is listed in Who-Is-Who
in Nigeria (Educationist) by Daily Times
Publication, Lagos 1983; Who-Is-Who in
Nigeria by News- Watch Communications Ltd,
1990; and Who-Is-Who in the world by
Marquis, USA 1996. Was conferred with the
award of Officer of the Order of the Federal
Republic (OFR) in 2001.
In June 1994
and June 1995 he was elected
Honourable Delegate for Orlu District B (Ohaji/Egbema
and Oguta Local Government Areas) to the
National Constitutional Conference.
Professor Umezurike held a number of
traditional titles among which are Ochagha
of Egbema Clan, and the Ehime of Mbano. He
is survived by his wife, Mrs.
Caroline Umezurike and
children.
May his soul rest in peace.Prof Umezurike
may be dead and gone but his good deeds will
certainly immortalize him in the minds of
Ndi-Imo
and
in the minds of
Nigerians.
-Kenneth Uwadi wrote this
piece from
Mmahu-Egbema ,Imo State
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