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Professor Bede Okigbo, a scion of the Ezeokigbo family of Ojoto in Anambra state is a versatile academic. When you think you can have the liberty of getting his views on other areas of his life, he insists in lacing his views with his academic journey. His major in the university is Agronomy. But as he explained, because he would be lonely in that area of specialization, he took two minors: Genetics and Plant Breeding. Okigbo laments that research institutes in Nigeria are idle and have not continued from where the old generation academics stopped. In this interview with ourChukwujekwu Ilozue, Okigbo bares his mind on his academic forays and in his service to humanity, especially during the Nigeria Civil War. Excerpts:
Good morning Prof. Happy to meet you once again.
Ah, yes good morning.
How old would one say you are now?
I am just close to 90 years. But you know the problem also is that my uncle had a sworn declaration to allow me enter Government College, Umuahia so that what my mother put as my birthday is some few years earlier so I have been putting my sworn declaration as my professional birthday because he indicated that when I was born there was no register of birth in Ojoto. So, it is causing confusion.
So, you are preparing to mark your birthday, are you?
Yes, they are preparing for me which I cherish so much with humility because the longer you live, the more God blesses you for a longer life and there is nothing you can do against age except to manage it.
In what form are they preparing the predation?
I don't know what they are to do because they had prepared earlier and it became aborted.
Who and who are involved in your birthday?
The one Emeka told me today is "Ndi be Okigbo" (Okigbo Kindred) because I am their President and Emeka Okigbo who informed me is our secretary, assisted by Samuel Okigbo.
It is like Okigbo is a very large family?
It is a very large family. I don't have to boast about it. If you follow after here all the way to the hall, almost both sides you have Okigbo family. It is a very...