Author, Nkem Nwankwo is Dead

This Day (Lagos)
July 3, 2001

By Tunde Okoli


Nigeria's celebrated writer and author of Danda and My Mercedes is Bigger
than Yours, Professor Nkem Nwankwo is dead. He died in his sleep in
Tennessee, United States of America last week. He will be buried this
Saturday at Unofia, Anambra State.

THISDAY gathered exclusively from family sources that the late writer and
Professor of African Studies and Literature died from complications from a
heart imbalance he has been battling for some years now.

Richard Onwenu, Onyeka Onwenu's elder brother and cousin to Ijeoma Nwakwo
the wife, who spoke with THISDAY revealed that Nkem Nwankwo has been living
on a manageable heart problem for some time. "His heartbeat became irregular
and sparse," he said. He added that Nkem went for the best in medical
treatment for the heart problem.

"He was operated by Dr. Bachae, the best in the world. He was the one that
operated Kanu Nwankwo's heart and that of Boris Yeltsin, the former Russian
President." Dr. Bachae placed Nwankwo on what Richard described as "Push
Pacer." This is a modern medical device made up of a machine inserted into a
patient's body to help in regulating his/her irregular heartbeats. "But this
machine needs to be recharged every two years to reactivate it and
strengthen it." This Nwankwo has been doing and still does until his
eventual death last week.

"We don't know how it happened yet. It is either the push pacer
malfunctioned or some unexplainable malfunctioning or complication developed
along the line. He was just found dead. His door was pushed open and they
found him sleeping nicely." It was the wife that called from Texas where she
is based with the children. "But there was no answer. Nobody picked the
phone. There was no response as she called her husband's house repeatedly,"
he said. Agitated, Ifeoma resorted to calling the University of Tennessee
authorities where Nwankwo is a Professor of African Studies and Literature
to know the where about of her husband. "The university authorities told her
they have not seen Nkem all through the day. They got to his house and it
was locked. "So they called the police and then forced his door open to
found him dead in his sleep."

Nkem Nwankwo was born in Unofia, Anambra State some 60 years ago. He came
from a very humble background. He entered the University of Ibadan in 1954
graduating with a BA. English Literature four years later.

"He was a contemporary of Wole Soyinka. I remember, he and Soyinka were very
close at Ibadan and they have so much respects for each other. In fact,
their friendship played itself during the Abacha era. When Abacha was busy
mounting pressure on Wole Soyinka who he drove to self exile, Nkem was busy
delivering anti-Abacha lectures and doing a few things against Abacha in the
United States then," Richard said.

After his Bachelors Degree in Ibadan, Nwankwo left the shores of Nigeria for
America, where he lived till he died. "He had gone with a "J-Visa" then
which was very difficult to change to normal Visa. For you to change a
"J-Visa" to normal Visa you will have to go back home to your country and
then reapply to come back," he said. So Nwankwo decided to stay back in
America. He enrolled for his Masters Degree at the Indiana University where
he eventually earned his Ph.D. Degree.

He moved on to Ohio where he took up a teaching job at Ohio University. But
there was altercation between him and the university authorities. He left
Ohio for University of Texas where he taught African Literature for
sometime. Soon after, he left Texas for the University of Tennessee, leaving
his family behind. "He taught African and African/American Studies and
Literature at the University of Tennessee till he died last week in
Tennessee."

Songster, Onyeka Onwenu who is still grappling with the realities of the
death of her close friend and acquaintance, Tyna Onwudiwe who died in South
Africa of complications from cancer of the lungs has fond memories of Nkem
Nwankwo. "He was a very outstanding writer. One of the finest around. Danda
was a very outstanding novel. I don't think there has been any other novel
like that by a Nigerian author except Things Fall Apart," she enthused. She
described the late Nwankwo as an eccentrist who is not easily swayed by
others. "He does what he wants. He was an eccentric of sort. And I
understood that in him," she said.

Married to Ifeoma (nee Ijendu) the Nwankwo's are blessed with five children.
Ikenna Nwankwo, the eldest son is a professional basketballer plying his
trade in Turkey. Nkenugo Nwankwo, the second son is an American footballer
playing in the American Professional Football League in the United States.

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