Governor Umahi Eulogises Chief Lawrence Anoke

All is set for the interment of Chief Lawrence Eze Anoke (1935-2021), on November 5, 2022, in Uburu, Ohaozara local government area, as tributes have been pouring in from highly placed Nigerians.

According to a statement from the family signed by Kenneth Eze, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State is among the prominent people recalling fond memories of the life and times of the respected educationist.

In a tribute on behalf of the Ebony State government, which the governor signed personally, he credited the foremost educationist with mentoring many prominent people, including himself at primary school level.

Umahi stated that Chief Anoke “was a well-established Headmaster in many schools, especially, Umunaga Primary School and I was fortunate to be mentored by him at that time

“He lived a worthy life and impacted great knowledge in many people, of which many are highly placed people in our society today.”

Eze described his father as a man who saw tomorrow and made good preparation for it with the fruits abounding wherever his feet trod.

He said, “My father’s most distinguishing traits would be brainpower, foresight, courage, large appetite for knowledge and human capital development, in no particular order.

“With foresight, he discerned from childhood that future greatness would majorly be for those who strengthened their brains not their bones. This explains way he embraced education with two hands, encouraged many to join him, and clutched to it even till his last breath.

“These also background his journey to becoming the philosopher king of his generation and his looking down on materialism, opting instead to enrich and empower humanity with western education.

“To achieve these, he set-off early, so early that he was done with Primary School at a tender age. So tender was he that on graduation from Primary School, he arrived at the workplace too young to be taxed, and probably too fragile to carry on.”

“These saw the late Dr Akanu Ibiam, former governor of East Central State and Eze-Ogo of Unwana, counsel him ‘Eze, go back to school.’

“I doubt if Dr Ibiam envisaged that he was kick-starting another type of missionary work – education evangelism. Heeding this counsel transformed you, dad, into the foremost knowledge missionary of Ebonyi State.

“With that mantle, my dad carried the crusade of education from home to home, while encouraging farmers to send their children to school instead of the farms. For this, many notable people in the society today, owe you gratitude, sir.

“Dr Ibiam’s counsel, only turned out to be extremely rewarding because you took and rode on it for continuous knowledge acquisition and impartation, thereby impacting on numerous people and uplifting them to greatness.