PROF ANEZI OKORO, AUTHOR OF 'THE VILLAGE HEADMASTER ' DIES AT 94.(PHOTO).

Prof Anezi Okoro, author of ‘The Village Headmaster’ dies at 94

The renowned author of ‘One Week, One Trouble’ and ‘The Village Headmaster’, Prof Anezionwu Okoro is dead. He died aged 94.

His first son, Chukwuma Aneziokoro, confirmed his death to newsmen on Saturday in Enugu.

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

”He had been sick for some time. But he died peacefully around 4 a.m. He was a great man, caring father and husband. I will sorely miss him,” he said.

Born May 17, 1929, Anezi Okoro is the author of many works of fiction, medicine/health, environmental sciences and ecology.

Some of his works include ‘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’. He did this in collaboration with another author, Mrs Nwobiara Chukwura.

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

He was the president of the 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, the 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.

The nonagenarian was a one-time 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.