Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo was born as the first of the six children of Joshua and Christana Adimora. She was raised in Eastern Nigeria and combines the urban and rural environments as background and setting for her children’s stories and adult friction.
She obtained her Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Masters (MA) degree in English from the University of Lagos and her Ph.D. from University of Ibadan, in Nigeria. She also had a postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from University of Lagos where she is presently Head of English Department. She has lived in the North, east and Western part of Nigeria and has travelled extensively in Africa, Europe and in the USA.
Her professional work experience include; teaching in secondary schools and a Teachers College and then becoming a university lecturer. She also worked in the press between 1992 and 1999 during which time she was able to write editorials, feature articles and maintain columns. Prof. Akachi can be teamed as a lecturer, writer, novelist, critic, essayist, journalist, and administrator, all in one.
The amiable mother of three has also published over forty-five academic paper in local and international journals, fifteen books (thirteen for children) and some of her works appear as chapters in books. Some of her short stories also appear in five Anthologies. Two of her books have been translated into Swahili and Xhosa languages. The children’s Sunday school’s teacher regularly gives topics such as culture and youth development in Nigeria, child upbringing and the education of the girl child, etc. Recently, she launched four novels at a time and they have all gone to stake the literary market.
She is married to Professor Chris Ezeigbo and was the National Treasure of the Association of Nigerian Authors from 1995 – 1997. Vice President of women writers of Nigeria (WRITA) FROM 1998-2000. Currently, Prof. Akachi is the first Vice President of P.E.N. Nigeria and the Financial Secretary of WRITA National. Prof. Adimora-Ezeigbo has won more than twenty literacy and academic awards within and outside the shores of Nigeria and has also attended many sponsored academic conferences in Europe, America and Africa. She is a Research fellow at the Royal Holloway University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, in South Africa.
Prof. Akachi saw a role model in her mother while growing up because Mrs. Christana Adimora was quite hard-working, independent and kind. As a young person she faced the challenge of how she was going to further her education after the civil war. But hard work, focus and her determination paid off as the Federal Government gave her scholarship to study in the University of Lagos. Her motto in life is to be the best she can be in all she does, and to help others if she is in a position to do so.
One of Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo novels “Trafficked” centers on a young lady who was trafficked outside her country. The prolific writer is of the opinion that greedy people are often the ones who end up as victims to traffickers because they want to travel abroad at all cost and make money easily, so they easily decided by traffickers. She also cites poverty as another reason why people get trafficked because victim are made to believe that they would make it abroad and be able to get rich. She is motivated to write children books because of her love for children and young people.
For young people who aspire to be professional writers, she has this to say:
“You need to work hard and be efficient in the use of language, creative, imaginative and able to write well. You need to be passionate about writing as a career is bright but you have to be patient and develop your own style of writing.”
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