Okowa Mourns as Renowned Nigerian Historian, Ekoko, Dies at 79

Renowned Nigerian historian and former Vice-Chancellor of Delta State University, Abraka, Professor Abednego Ekoko, is dead.
Family sources said that Professor Ekoko died on Saturday morning at the age of 79.
A notable scholar, the deceased who hailed from Uzere in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State was a member of the Project Committee for the establishment of three new universities in the state.

He was the third Vice-Chancellor of DELSU between 1998 to 1999 and was also a former chairman of the Governing Council of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku.
Professor Ekoko was also a former commissioner for education in Delta State.

Meanwhile, Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has expressed sadness on the passing of Ekoko, describing his passage as a great loss to Delta and Nigeria.
Okowa recalled that Ekoko in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifeajika, yesterday in Asaba, the governor eulogised the late historian and boundary expert for his immense contributions to the resolution of many boundary issues in Delta and Nigeria.

He said that the works of Ekoko promoted peaceful co-existence particularly in Delta, adding that history, his academic comfort zone, will remember and celebrated him for his humble endeavours as teacher and contributor to the development of the environment in Delta and the country.

He said that the deceased was an erudite historian, great educationist and administrator par excellence, and regretted that with his demise, death, the inevitable, had dealt a huge blow on Nigeria’s historical society and left a great lacuna that would be difficult to fill.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the Ekoko family of Uzere, the Isoko nation and the entire academia over the demise of the cerebral scholar and legendary historian.
“Until his death, he was a member of the Governing Council of the three new universities we recently established and contributed his best in ensuring that the universities took off as planned.

“The late Ekoko will be remembered and honoured for his huge contributions to resolution of some boundary disputes in the state, especially the Aladja-Ogbe-Ijoh land dispute which he chaired,” he said.
Okowa prayed that God would grant eternal rest to the soul of the departed Ekoko and comfort his family and all who mourn him.