Background
He was born on September 7, 1923, in Benin, Mid-west Nigeria. He is a son of Yesufu O. and Barikisu A. Eke.
journalist politician producer academic
He was born on September 7, 1923, in Benin, Mid-west Nigeria. He is a son of Yesufu O. and Barikisu A. Eke.
He was educated locally, going on to King's College, Lagos from 1939 to 1944 and to the Government College and University College, Ibadan, where he edited numerous publications. In August 1948 he joined the Nigerian Public Relations Department. In 1951 he won a scholarship which took him to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from 1952 to 1954, gaining a Master of Arts degree.
He returned to Lagos in October 1954, but was disappointed in only being offered a job as an information officer and took up university administration as Assistant Registrar at Ibadan from 1955 to 1959.
Chief S. O. Adebo then asked him to join the newly formed, all African Western Region civil sendee where he rose to chief information officer, prduced a regular TV programme and wrote 20 pamphlets on the principal towns in Western Nigeria. He returned to university administration with the creation of the new University of Ife, as its registrar.
When the Action Group government was suspended, following trouble in the west. Chief Eke accepted the post as Commissioner for Education in the emergency administration. He stayed for two months in June and July 1962, long enough to see that the creation of his native. Mid-west state, was on the way. Reassured on this major objective, he resigned and accepted the post as registrar in the University of Lagos. Here he stayed for the next ten years, July 1962 to September 1971, also being a director of the Institute of Mass Communications at the University. He resigned in October 1971 because he genuinely feels that the instability in many young African countries is caused by people hanging on to their posts too long. He had resolved to stay as registrar only ten years. When he left he did not have “the foggiest idea” what he would do next.
But General Gowon noticed his past record and appointed him Federal Commissioner for Education ' in October 1971. Concurrently with his registrar- ship at Lagos University he held the post as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in the Mid-western State of Nigeria between December 1967 and October 1971.
From 1971 to 1974 he served as a Federation Commander for Education. From 1975 to 1982 he was an education and economics consultant. From 1982 to 1983 he worked as an ambassador to the United States.
In 1956 he married Clara Noyogiere Eke.