Elder Osoka O. Imo was born on the 22nd of July, 1927 to the family of Mazi Isaac Okeudo Imo and his wife, Rebecca Oriaku, in Amaokwe Item in the present day Abia State of Nigeria. His parents were amongst the earliest Christian converts in Item, hence the taking on of Christian names at baptism.He attended the Central School, Item, the Methodist College Uzuakoli and Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos. He passed the Cambridge School Certificate in 1948 with Grade 1 with exemption from London Matriculation.
In February 1949 he entered the Meteorological School at Ikeja Airport in Lagos and was posted to Calabar Airport later in the year as a Meteorological Observer. He was transferred to Tiko Airport Cameroon in April 1951. In October 1951, he gained admission into the School of Pharmacy, Yaba and by January 1955, he had become a registered Pharmacist. He then started work at the Medical Stores, Oshodi. He was the second qualified Pharmacist from Item.
After a few months, he was transferred to the General Hospital, Lagos. When in 1957, the Polyclinic opened at Massey Street, Lagos, he was a foundation staff of the clinic. On December 20, 1958, he married his beloved Annie Anyagwo, the second daughter of Mazi Samuel Agu Ogali.Upon completing the mandatory five year service to Government by a Government trained Pharmacist, he left the service to work for the commercial pharmacy, Serapharm-Karo at Yaba in 1960. A year later, he left for Abbot Laboratory in Lagos.
In 1962, he entered the service of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) as the second Pharmacist at the inception of that Establishment. The interruption of the Nigeria – Biafra war saw him working in hospitals in Port- Harcourt, Enugu, Umuahia and Emekuku. At the cessation of hostilities, he returned to Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he worked and retired as the Deputy Chief Pharmacist in May 1987.
He was a civic and community leader. In 1962, he was voted the President of Item Union, Lagos. He represented Item Union at the Bende Union, Lagos and was Treasurer of the Bende Union until the beginning of the Nigerian civil war. In his capacity as President, he persuaded Chief Ugorji Eke to send his Lorries a couple of times to evacuate Item indigenes who could not readily pay their way back to the Eastern Region (Biafra). Elder Imo returned after the war in 1970.
In 1971 with the help of Mr. Offor Ebbi, he resuscitated Item union, Lagos and continued to serve as President till 1975 by which time the union had grown and he asked to be relieved of the role. He however continued to serve on the executive till he applied for retirement at the age of 70 years in 1997. In July 2002, his kinsmen honored him by making him the Grand Patron of the Union. He also served as Treasurer of Bende Divisional Union for a term.
Elder Imo was a devoted Christian. In 1990, after serving as a church steward at Hoares Memorial Methodist Cathedral for five years, he was made a leader of a class. In December 2005, he was pronounced a Leader Emeritus of the church thereby making him a true Elder of the church. He was a passionate member of the Friendship Bible Coffees (FBC) fellowship, Satellite Town Lagos chapter and a life member of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Satellite Town, Chapter.
He studied the Bible daily, just like his beloved wife did also, until the day he died – Friday, 11th February, 2011
