Elijah Emezie was born into a long line of traditional herbal practitioners. His maternal great grandfather and grandfather were both renowned herbalists. His mother was ‘Nwanyiagwu’, the woman who carried the big herbal bag. He lived with his parents and siblings at Umunze in Orumba Local Government Area of Anambra State where he learnt the art of traditional healing from his grandfather as a very young primary school child.
At the back of their house was a big ‘Ngwu’ tree belonging to the cinchona group. From the bark of the tree, he was taught to extract by cooking and sieving a liquid that guaranteed in those days, a complete cure to the febrile condition in young people. As a primary school child at Central School, Ufuma, Elijah would prepare the drug in the evening and in the morning before going to school and would run his ‘paediatric clinic’ of about 5-10 patients. His bill was always within reach of all; equivalent of 5 kobo in cowries, six yams and if cured, a fowl. He was called ‘small dokita’, an accolade he greatly enjoyed.
In 1947, his parents moved to Ibeku Umuahia where there was less demand for herbal medicine due to the presence of the General Hospital. He then left to Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) Onitsha where he developed a strong desire to become a civil engineer. According to him, at D.M.G.S though he was good in most subjects that earned him the nickname Cube General(from his 3Es- Elijah Ebonine Emezie) and later abbreviated to Cumbuje, he had better flare for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and just attended classes in Biology and Health Science as a mere routine. Nothing stood between him and civil engineering except fate. He was a school Prefect in his last year and despite all attempts in pre-strike meetings to steer the ship away from the strike-shore, the school went on strike and he was on the 4th of October 1951 expelled from the school. His attempt to secure admission into University College Ibadan for pre-enginneering failed woefully. He was completely disappointed and while brooding over his failure, his mother advised him to look back at the family tradition and pick up the OFO of healing and reminded him of the appellation of "small dokita". The next examination took him to University College Ibadan Medical School where he graduated in November 1961.
As an Eastern Regional Scholar, Elijah was forced to return to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu as the only House Officer in the Eastern Region on the 1st of December 1961. As a student, he had developed very keen interest in forensic medicine and was to continue a full degree in Law with membership of one of the Royal College of Physicians and finally of Pathology. This again would have taken him away from clinical practice to legal medicine. As a doctor in 1965, he sat and passed the inter L.L.B. London and was awarded an in-service scholarship for membership for which he would have left in September 1967 but could not travel to London because of the outbreak of the civil war. He was unable to resuscitate the scholarship after the war.
In 1970, Elijah took the advice of his mother, in line with family tradition and started a rural practice in Orlu Imo state and for him he had no cause to regret. This led to the birth of St. Luke’s Hospital Orlu, Imo state. According to him, he had to treat the sick every day in a rural community of relatively poor people. As a mark of appreciation, he was elected to the highest legislature of the country as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Orlu Senatorial Zone in Imo State from 1979 – 1983. He returned to his medical practice after his tenure, to which he was selflessly dedicated for most of his life. His commitment to the medical profession is reflected in his unwavering belief in the realisation of health for all at the nearest shortest time, a philosophy which he preached and practiced from childhood as 'small dokita' until his death.
He was honored by his professional colleagues when he was made a Fellow West African College of Physicians in 1988.
He remained the Chief Medical Director of St. Luke’s Hospital until recently when he could no longer cope due to ill health.
He was married to Edna Emezie in 1964 with whom he had 5 children, Chioma, Ebere, Obioha, Ogechi and Nnadozie. Until his death, he was well loved by all, a philanthropist at heart, generous to a fault, full of integrity, a God-fearing and practicing christian and a strong member of the Anglican church for which he was bestowed a knighthood.
-This biography is extracted from a valedictory speech given by Sen. (Dr) Elijah Emezie to the graduating class of 1989 from the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu.