08/10/2025
HISTORY REVISITED: EARLY Torchbearers IN ITEM OKPI KINGDOM (Part 2) - Excerpt from ITEM & ITS PEOPLE By HRH Eze Osoka Agwu
Pa Osoka subsequently became the Lay President of Methodist Church of Nigeria and founded the Chapel of Grace Methodist Church in Amaokwe Item. H.O. Chuku was the first Item person to be elected to the Federal House of Representatives in Lagos, while Senator S.M. Ojukwu remains the only Item person to have served in the Senate to date. Dr. M.I. Kalu, a renowned surgeon, also ventured into politics and was elected to the Imo State House of Assembly. Howells C. Ogbonnaya became the first Item person to serve as principal of a college and was one of the individuals appointed by the Federal Government to formulate education policy in 1975. Chief I.B. Osoka and Osoka Imo were pioneer pharmacists in Item and reached the pinnacle of their profession, with I.B. becoming the Chief Pharmacist at Shell and Osoka Imo retiring as Chief Pharmacist of LUTH. Prof. Onyekwere Ogan specialized in E.N.T medicine, while his brother, Prof. A.U. Ogan, was the pioneer Head of the Biochemistry Department at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He also served as the pioneer Provost of the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri. Mr. Okpo Onyekwere became the first microbiologist to rise to the position of Director at FIRRO, Oshodi, Lagos. Other notable individuals include Kalu Okwo, Clifford Agbaeze, Ugorji Ogali, Engr. Francis Agbaeze, S.K. Okoronkwo, Prof. Joe Irukwu, Mazi N. Okpa-Iroha, Anyaso Mark Anyaso, HRH Eze Godwin Eze, Prof. Onwuchekwa Jemie, Prof. Offiah Okoro, Prof. Oleka Udeala, Prof. S.O. Igwe, Prof. Onyekwere Akwari, Prof. Friday Ndukwe Ikoh, Prof. Onwukwe Alaezi, and Prof. Mba O. Okoronkwo.
Mazi Okpa-Iroha and Anyaso, after completing their training in England, became pioneer librarians in Item, while Clifford became the District Manager of NEPA.
Women also played a significant role in the educational and professional advancements of Item. By 1945, Oyidia Ogali (Mrs. Ogan) and her sister, Anyagwo (Mrs. Imo), had completed primary school and proceeded to Lagos, where Oyidia gained admission to the prestigious Queen's College, Yaba, and her sister later attended U.M.C, Ibadan. Egbichi Ogan (Mrs. Iheukwumere) had attended Item Central School before them, but Oyidia and her sister were the first Item women to attend college.
Other early women to pursue education included Ori ejije (Mrs. Ezeronye), Jane Osoka (Mrs. Oteh), Ori Ogan (Mrs. Uko), Oriaku Irukwu (Mrs. Nwosu), who is also the first woman professor from Item, while Dr. Mrs. A.A. Akpala is the first Item woman to earn a PhD in Law. If you made it to this point Congratulations, Comment let’s do more and hail Alagbawa Orachie
