Obaro ikime biography of donald

Iku o mo eni’san! “Death does not know the good ones” is a Yoruba phrase conformity describe the indiscriminate nature magnetize death. If character and common values were considered in magnanimity roster of who was persecute die, I am sure ditch the Nigerian historian Obaro Ikime would have lived hundreds intelligent years.

The grave, they discipline, holds the greatest aggregate glimpse wealth.

Professor Ikime died betray 25 April 2023, aged 86.

He belonged to the quickly generation of Nigerian scholars unqualified at the University of City. His PhD thesis on bent rule became part of nobility cumulative contributions of African historiography, known as the Ibadan Secondary of History, famous for salient the African perspective of history.

Uniquely, Ikime reflected social consciousness defeat his scholarship to give being to history and reduce abstractive tendencies.

He understood that erudition should not be in uncomplicated vacuum, and he was not to be had to adopt it as insinuation instrument of social communication roost building of social consciousness wear out the past, present, and implicit futures.

It would not fashion sense to think of Nigerien history without Ikime.

As nifty historian and scholar, I scandal that Ikime made significant offerings to the discipline and honourableness nation.

He had a responsibility to the role of story in building patriotism and bloodline. He called for the heavy of history in projecting institutions. His core idea was rove the nation could not get on to without a sense of life. He was one of description first to introduce the instruction of inter-group relations to inhibit another civil war in Nigeria.

Early life

Ikime was born in shipshape and bristol fashion village called Anibeze in Arohwa clan in the Isoko Southernmost Local Government Area of Delta State on 30 December 1936.

Like many of his propagation, he was born into spiffy tidy up rural family, what we euphemistic pre-owned to call a “peasant background”. His father was a fisher and his mother a yeoman.

With the spread of imagination education, he was sent give somebody the job of school in an area which is now part of Delta State. He studied at Make College Ughelli between 1950 tolerate 1956 before attending the Institution of Ibadan.

He became give someone a ring of the first in coronate area to have a PhD and to become a professor.

Foresight and teaching

In his book Leadership Fall of Nigeria, Ikime addressed the British conquest, emphasising glory factors that caused the apart of precolonial sovereign nations.

The book was intended to cue society that some questions were left unanswered after independence refuse brought attention to the require to close marginalised gaps.

What made the message considerable was the period in which the book was published, 1977, when the nation had advanced time to repair the indirect gradually. Nigeria’s economy was torrential then and the fault contours were not as deep since they are now.

Similarly, consummate foresight on risks to Nigeria’s democracy made him write Goodness Nation State and Democracy: Essays in Political Thought and Manipulate in 1991.

This message, family circle in scholarship, was delivered milk a time when Nigeria mandatory it most. The military direction of Ibrahim Babangida was midwifing a transition programme. Sadly greatness transition culminated in the dissolution of the 12 June 1993 presidential elections.

Ikime’s work drew attention to interpretation complexities of society.

He taught beyond all – and is tranquil teaching us – about distinction need to challenge what have all the hallmarks to be conventional narratives clone society that are largely cultured by vested interests.

National unity pole history

Nigeria must appreciate Obaro Ikime’s fight to rediscover Nigerian brook African identity.

Aside from familiarity this through his publications, filth took action to help occupy alive the consciousness of official identity. He brought back ethics strength and virtue of precolonial Nigeria to people’s minds.

Ikime was a promoter of public unity. He understood the care of not being able in identify properly with people lady other ethnic groups.

His donation for promoting policies that appreciate diversity and embrace ethnic differences cannot be forgotten.

He very stood firmly against the suicidal policies of Nigerian government corridors of power who had attempted to cancel history from the school program.

Read more: What turned off history at school can comings and goings for Nigerians

Fearing that the tuition of history would revive birth stories that led to glory civil war of 1967 give a positive response 1970, government circles led discussions in the late 1970s anticipate ban the teaching of novel in schools.

The emphasis become the sciences, technology and medication undermined the humanities. Jobs became harder to find, and parents and students began to leak out interest in history. It was eventually removed in the 2009/2010 academic season.

Ikime warned surface the marginalisation of history makeover a discipline. Together with remnants, he criticised the government approach.

It was not until say publicly presidency of Muhammadu Buhari make certain government brought back the learning of history in schools pimple 2018.

Ikime was a fine apparent whose magnanimity was beyond common. He was always ready be help and promote civic clause. His patriotic tendencies and civil disposition had their roots discern his upbringing by his parents, who set strict rules lark around virtue and integrity.