ForeverMissed
Large image
His Life

Biography of Honorable Eziwoke Wokoma

December 31, 2015

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF HON. EZIWOKE IGONIKON WOKOMA

 

BIRTH

Hon. Eziwoke Igonikon Wokoma was born into the Family of Elder Igonikon Mbre Wokoma and Madame Dere Igonikon Wokoma (nee Charles Wokoma), on 1st February 1926.  His Father, the late Igonikon Wokoma was a prosperous and dynamic Community Leader, who belonged to the illustrious late Chief Ibila-a House; and his mother was one of the beautiful daughters of the noble and majestic late Chief Benibo Charles Wokoma.  In 1930, he was taken by his maternal grandmother, Madam Meme Charles Wokoma to be instructed and raised in the way of Kalabari tradition.  On 16th July 1933, Meme died and the duty of instruction rested on his paternal Grandmother, Ominabo Mbre-Woloma Wokoma who also died in November 1941.  Thus, he grew up well instructed in the traditional way of Kalabari life.

EDUCATION

In 1934, he was  enrolled into Our Saviour’s Primary School Buguma and concluded his primary education at St Michael’s Primary School, Buguma where he obtained the standard six certificate in 1941. He was admitted into Kalabari National College Buguma, where he obtained his junior Cambridge Certificate in December, 1945 and Senior Cambridge Secondary Certificate in December 1947, respectively.  He had a short teaching career from February to July 1948 at Our Saviour’s Primary School, Buguma and then proceeded to Kaduna where he started his career as an Accounts Clerk in the Public Works Department from September 1948 to October 1949. He later joined the Geological Survey at Kaduna on 1st November 1949. He earned a British Council Scholarship and was sent to Glasgow University Scotland; Imperial Institute London; The Directorate of Overseas Survey School Tolwoth, England; and Ordinance Survey, Southampton England, from Sept 1965-Feb 1966, and obtained a Certificate Diploma in Cartography: He later went to the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences, (ITC) Enschede, the Netherlands from January 1975-December 1975. During this period, he made excursions to many large city councils in Europe such as:

Orebro, Norkoping, and Helsingborg in Sweden; Haisignor, Korsor and Copenhagin

Denmark; Kiel, Hamburg, Bremen, Bonn, Frankfurt and Munich in Western Germany; Bern in Switzerland; Vienna in Austria; Paris in France; Rome in Italy; Madrid in Spain; and Lisbon in Portugal, some towns in Holland and other European cities .

MARITAL LIFE

Elder E.I.Wokoma had sixteen children, but two pre-deceased him.  Sotonye Eziwoke Wokoma, a medical student at FUTO passed on in 2007 and Dr Biokpo I. Wokoma  a Medical Doctor who was his first son also passed on in 2008 and was buried on 10th January 2009. Until his death, Papa was married to Mrs Tubonimi Gogo E.I Wokoma (nee BrownWest)

CHRISTIAN LIFE

Papa was a devout Anglican and had no association with any other religion. He was a baptized member of St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Buguma, and confirmed in the Anglican Communion. He believed in God and trusted in Him with all his heart. Until his death, two events in the year were very paramount in his life, his birthday and the Annual Adult Harvest Thanksgiving Service of St Michael’s Anglican Church, Buguma.

WORKLIFE, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

He started his career as a teacher in Our Saviour’s Primary School Buguma, from Feb-June 1948 and then moved to Kaduna where he was drafted into the public civil service as an Accounts clerk in the Public Works Department from September 1948 to October 1949. He later joined the Geological Survey Kaduna in the public service and rose to the rank of Assistant Chief Technical Officer (Cartography) before his official retirement in January 1985.

For over forty years, he was strongly associated with all the self-help developmental projects in Buguma, first as a member of the Age Group and later BAINBO TARIAH AWO SOCIETY where he held various offices and was honoured as the FIRST PATRON MEMBER of the society.  He later received an Award of Excellence from same (Bainbo Tariah Awo) for his services to Buguma.  He was a member of the Buguma Internal Affairs Society (BIAS), from 1948 to 1993. During the Buguma Centenary in 1984, he was the Chairman of Works on the Centenary Planning Committee and ensured that various projects planned during this important celebration were duly executed.  As the project manager of the Buguma Internal Affairs Society, he was fully committed to the physical development of Buguma. He worked with various Kings and Patriotic citizens of Buguma on various Projects which include;

Clearing of the old Cementary and siting of Kalabari National College (KNC) there in 1947. Development of  Buguma Post Office in 1963 Improvement of the environment of Kalabari National College and the removal of KGHS from Ido to KNC. (1971-1975) and KCC from Port Harcourt to Buguma.

 

Development of Aladuen Piri now Abbi Ama; Clearance of the Area, survey and division of the area into site of King Abbey Grave and grave of other important chief such as Chief Idoniboye Obu and Chief Obu Johnwest in 1977.

 

Development and allocation of plots in the Buguma Sandfilled area which include the following layouts; Omoboko Layout, George Layout, Elegbobio Layout, KNC Layout and Ebeanga Layout, Amayanabo okolo 1 and Amayanabo okolo 2

Development of the Buguma Jetty (1987-1988)

Building of the Buguma Conference hall
 
Design and Production of the 1st Official Map of ASALGA upon creation

He was elected a Councilor Representing Ward 8, in the old Degema Local Government Area from January 1988 to May 1989.  In a bid to extend health services to the rural communities he visited the following communities in DELGA as a Councilor; Obuama, Kala Degema, Opu Degema, Abonema, Obonoma, Idama, Soku, Elem Sangama, Kula, Abisse, Ke, Krarama, Sangama, Emekwe Ama, Angulama. (Tema, illelema, Okolo, Olua Kiri and Minjidu Kiri).

Upon creation of Asari –toru Local Government Area (ASALGA) in May 16th 1989, he was elected the first Local Government Executive Chairman of ASALGA.

As a prominent member of the Wokoma family, he was fully  involved in the installations of Chief Donald Charles Wokoma (1972-1983), Chief George Vincent Benebo Wokoma, (1986-1992) and Charlesye Inko Tariah Wokoma from 1994 to date as Paramount rulers of the Wokoma Group of Houses respectively.  His services were readily available to the Wokoma House, and he served as the Land Allocation Committee Chairman saddled with the responsibility of survey allocation of plots at the Wokoma Waterfront facing the Buguma river.

Although he completely lost his sight in May 1997, he still rendered countless services to the Wokoma Group of Houses for quite a while and in 2011, he was honoured with an award of Excellence by the Horsfall Group of houses.  Papa was popularly known and addressed as Kalabro.

He died on 9th December 2015, peacefully after taking his breakfast.