THE DEATH of legendary and iconic educator, Mr Edwin Abah Ejeikwu, has thrown into mourning his immediate community of Ogene in Amejo Ward, under Edumoga District in Okpokwu LGA of Benue State.
Okpani Edwin, as he is popularly known, died on Saturday after a protracted illness. He was in his mid-seventies. (Okpani is Idoma prefix equivalent for ‘Master’ or ‘Senior’ in some contexts).
A legendary educationist, Okpani Edwin reportedly pioneered western education (and to some degree) Christian evangelism in his community when he resolved to relocate from Kaduna in the early 1970s to his then very remote community of Ogene with the mission to set up a school for the education of young ones.
The kindergarten that Okpani started, and with support from the Catholic Church, was to later evolve into a full primary school when the Universal Primary Education (UPE) was launched in 1976 by the then Obasanjo Military regime.
According to some of his then pupils, many of who are now university graduates and working in various fields, Okpani’s determination to impart learning to his young compatriots was symbolised in his making attendance at the school mandatory and the mechanism he put in place to enforce attendance.
He was said to have put in a place a system of perpetually leading a squad of pupils to arrest and compel deviants to attend school.
National Record gathered that in appreciation of his pioneering role in the educational wellbeing of the community, collective efforts are being made to not only give Okpani Edwin a befitting burial, but to also immortalise him, although details of the burial arrangements are yet to be announced.
Okpani Edwin is survived by several children, including his widow, Mrs Bridget Aladi Ejeikwu.
