Onuora Nzekwu () also known as Joseph Onuora Nzekwu (19 February 1928 – 21 April 2017) was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

professor, writer and editor from the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and historically also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', / / ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. Their primary origin is fo ...

. He is author of the 1961 novel '' Wand of Noble Wood'' and the 1963 novel '' Eze Goes to School'', which was among the

African Writers Series The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003. The series has provided an int ...

Biography

Nzekwu was born in

Kafanchan Kafanchan (; Nikyob: ''Manɡyanɡ'') is a town located in the southern part of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The town owes much of its development to the railway development in the area. The railway is situated at a particular junction of the Nigeri ...

Kaduna State Kaduna (, جىِهَر كَدُنا; مدينة كدونا; , ; ) is a States of Nigeria, state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna (city), Kaduna, which was the List of Nigerian ...

in the north-western part of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, to Mr. Obiese Nzekwu and Mrs. Mary Ogugua Nzekwu (née Aghadiuno) of

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

, a city in

Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

in the southeastern region of Nigeria."Nigerians Don't Read as Expected - Onuora Nzekwu (Eze Goes to School Author)"
Bivne's Space, 3 March 2012. In January 1956, Nzekwu joined the Federal Civil Service and worked as an editorial assistant at the Nigeria Magazine division of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications, from 1956 to 1958. In 1958, he took over the position of

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the magazine. Nzekwu continued to run the ''Nigeria Magazine'' division of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications until 1966, when the Nigerian crisis compelled him to transfer his services to the

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

Public Service. He began as a senior information officer at Eastern Nigeria, a post that combined the roles of Information Ministry and Cultural officer. In 1968, he was promoted deputy director of the newly created Cultural Division. At the end of hostilities in January 1970, Nzekwu returned to the Federal Ministry of Information in May and was assigned to the information division as senior information officer. Nzekwu worked as general manager of

News Agency of Nigeria The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is a news reporting agency owned and run by the Federal Government of Nigeria just like Nigerian Television Authority. NAN was formed in part to disseminate news easily across the country and to the international ...

(NAN) until 1 July 1979, when he then took over the position of substantive general manager. He retired from the Nigeria Public Service in 1985, after presiding over the affairs of NAN for nearly eight years and servicing his country’s government for 39 years.

Awards

Onuora Nzekwu received the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

Fellowship in 1961, which enabled him to study American Methods of Magazine Production with Crafts Horizons in New York. In 1964, he was awarded a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Fellowship, which allowed him to study copyright administration for three months in Geneva, Prague, Paris, London, New York and Washington. On 8 August 2006,

observed its 30th anniversary during celebrations at

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

, the federal capital territory of Nigeria. The NAN presented a plaque, with the engraving "Maker of NAN", to Nzekwu. In December 2008, Nzekwu was conferred with the Nigerian national honour of

Officer of the Order of the Niger An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

(OON).

Publications

Nzekwu has also authored several novels. He co-authored ''Eze Goes to School'' and ''Eze Goes to College'' with historian

Michael Crowder Michael Crowder (9 June 1934 – 14 August 1988) was a British historian and author notable for his books on the history of Africa and particularly on the history of West Africa. Early life and education Michael was born in London and educat ...

. The two school supplementary readers were first published by African University Press in 1964 and 1988 respectively. In 1977, Nzekwu published his first non-fiction work, ''The Chima Dynasty in Onitsha'', in which he presented the history of

through an account of the reign of its monarchs. Nzekwu's novel, ''Faith of Our Fathers'', a compendium of the arts, beliefs, social institutions and code of values that characterize the Onitsha traditional community, was published in 2003.

Personal life

Nzekwu married Onoenyi Justina Ogbenyeanu, daughter of Chief Isaac Aniegboka Mbanefo, Odu II of

, in June 1960 and was inducted into the ancient and prestigious Agbalanze Society of Onitsha in May 1991. He died on 21 April 2017.

Works

*'' Wand of Noble Wood'' (1961) *'' Blade Among the Boys'' (1962) *'' Highlife for Lizards'' (1965) *'' Eze Goes to School'' (1966) *'' The Chima Dynasty in Onitsha'' (1977) *'' Faith Of Our Father's'' (2003) *'' Troubled Dust'' (2012) *'' Ahmad Daggash (Story of the True)''(2016)

References

*Nzekwu, Onuora. (2006). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 20 August 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Onuora-Nzekwu
"Nigerians Don't Read as Expected - Onuora Nzekwu (Eze Goes to School Author)"
Bivne's Space, 3 March 2012.

External links

Onuora Nzekwu at Encyclopædia Britannica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzekwu, Onuora 1928 births 2017 deaths Igbo writers Igbo educators Nigerian writers People from Kaduna State Officers of the Order of the Niger