Renowned author, Prof Anezi Okoro, dies at 94

The renowned author of “One Week, One Trouble”, Prof Anezionwu Okoro dies at 94.

His first son, Chukwuma Aneziokoro, confirmed his death to the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Enugu.

Chukwuma said his father died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of  Saturday in his house in Enugu.

“He had been sick for sometime but he died peacefully around 4am. He was a great man, caring father and husband. I will sorely miss him,” he said.

Born May 17, 1929, the nonagenarian dermatologist is the author of many fictions, medicine/health, environmental sciences and ecology, including One Week One Trouble, The Village School and the Village Headmaster.

Prof Anezi, as he is fondly called, has also written over 200 poems.

His recent publication is the translation of 10 Lamb’s tales of Shakespeare to Igbo language entitled, Akuko Ufodu Shakespeare Koro’ in collaboration with another author, Nwobiara Chukwura.

Okoro, a native of Arondizuogu in Imo, is the first dermatologist in West Africa and the second in Africa.

Prof Okoro had his secondary school education at the Methodist College, Uzuakoli, Abia State, Nigeria.

Anezi worked as a house surgeon, University College Hospital, Ibadan, from 1957 to 1959. He began his career as an academic in 1975 as a professor of medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka.

He was the president of African Association for Dermatology from 1986 to 1991. Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Lagos from 1977 to 1981. He was a visiting professor, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta in 1987, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1988, King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, as professor of dermatology from 1989 to 1995.

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The nonagenarian was a onetime Chairman of the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and member of the Petroleum Development Trust Fund (PTDF).

He is survived by his wife, Ese, a gynaecologist and four children.