This memorial website was created in memory of our esteemed father, Professor Chimere Ikoku, born on July 3, 1928 and passed away on October 13, 2002.
The man of peace, the diplomatic gentleman
The personification of our family name: Ike okwu adighim
Opuru iche, Unique one
Ezigbo mmadu. Good one
We thank God ALWAYS for ALL of your 74 years
We wish it had been 80 or 90 or even 100 and something!
Your place remains in my heart; Unoccupied, ‘cos you’re Unforgettable.
And in our family, and on the Nigerian stage; Irreplaceable, ‘cos you’re Uncloneable
Wise one, more than first class, ahead of the pack
Ugwu Aro!
Mazi o!!!
Tributes
Leave a tributeThis is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Its just another day. I talked about you and Mum with a family member today. On Mum's birthday, I put up another photo; of you and Mum and me. We were very happy. I know our joy will be even greater when we see again. All of you; Mum, Kika, Mama, Grandma, my baby brother. There's a celebration of Grandpa this month. Even COVID-19 couldn't stop that! Love you all ... more everyday.
Daddy, your family and friends and students and colleagues have started to gather; to honor you at the 1st Professor Chimere Ikoku Memorial Lecture and the joyous Homecoming of the Chemistry Department!!! I know you are smiling down on us all. And my heart is bursting with joy! No more tears on October 13th!!!
“This is what the LORD says and decrees: I will restore/rebuild/reconstruct/regenerate … I will have compassion/mercy/pity … From them will come joyful songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing/merrymaking/celebrating … I will bring them honor/glory and they will not be despised/disdained. (Jeremiah 30:18-19)
It is thirteen years
Yet the pain has not subsided
I still cannot fathom why you had to leave
Without hint or warning
At the hands of two hoodlums
Not you
The man of peace, the diplomatic gentleman
The personification of our family name: Ike okwu adighim
Opuru iche, Unique one
Ezigbo madu. Good one
I thank God ALWAYS for ALL of your 74 years
I wish it had been 80 or 90 or even 100 and something!
Your place remains in my heart; Unoccupied, ‘cos you’re Unforgettable.
And in our family, and on the Nigerian stage; Irreplaceable, ‘cos you’re Uncloneable
Wise one, more than first class, ahead of the pack
Ugwu Aro! Mazi o!!!
My Daddy
From your No 1 Baby Girl
We wish you were here with us on your birthday. But alas you are not! Two hoodlums (and those who sent them) denied me, my siblings, our spouses and your grand-children that joy, thirteen years ago. Yet we chose to forgive, those many years ago.
Today, as chief crooner of the family, in the absence of the soprano voice of your beloved Ejighiato Chi, I serenade you; as Natalie Cole serenaded her father, Nat King Cole:
Unforgettable
That’s what you are
Unforgettable
In every way
And forevermore
That’s how you will stay
OPURUICHE
MAZI
The Prof Himself!
Ndewoooooo!
Your No 1 Baby Girl
In my estimation, one of the most brilliant minds that ever lived; whose commitment to academic pursuit in particular, and the enlightenment of people's minds generally (Ikoku, 1991; Ikoku 1977), has been my inspiration all my life and kept me at this task to the end.
Opuruiche, Mazi, Ndewo!
[DEDICATION of University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne PhD Thesis]
Leave a Tribute
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand:
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Its just another day. I talked about you and Mum with a family member today. On Mum's birthday, I put up another photo; of you and Mum and me. We were very happy. I know our joy will be even greater when we see again. All of you; Mum, Kika, Mama, Grandma, my baby brother. There's a celebration of Grandpa this month. Even COVID-19 couldn't stop that! Love you all ... more everyday.