Chukwuemeka Ike

Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, author of the 1965 popular novel, Toads for Supper and traditional ruler of  Ndikelionwu community in Orumba, Anambra State since 2008, is dead. He was 88. He  died on Thursday in Anambra state

Apart from being the registrar at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and a visiting professor at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), he was the first Nigerian to serve as the registrar of the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

Apart from Toads for Supper, he wrote, The Naked Gods (1970), The Potter’s Wheel (1973), Sunset at Dawn (1976), Expo ’77 (1980), The Bottled Leopard (1985), Our Children Are Coming (1990) among others.

Born on 28 April, 1931, Professor Ike (like Chinua Achebe and Chris Okigbo), was educated at Government College, Umuahia and the University of Ibadan. Ike is survived by his wife Prof Adebimpe Ike. He lost his son, Osita Ike, some years back.

According to Chido Nwakanma, journalist and communications strategist: “I mourn as Nigeria lost today one of its leading lights in the humanities and educational administration, Prof Chukwuemeka Ike. He was an outstanding creative and astute administrator and one of those who restored the dignity of traditional rulership. Chukwuemeka Ike covered all the right bases. He went to our best schools, Government College Umuahia and University College Ibadan (now University of Ibadan). He was the administrator who revived and rebuilt the University of Nigeria from the ravages of war.  He was a Nigerian who practised the handshake across the Niger through marriage before it turned into a political catchphrase. Above all, most people in the arts and creative communities respect his corpus of works in literature with no fewer than six outstanding novels. .. Fare thee well, Prof Ike.”