Renowned educationist, Esther Okafor, for burial Jan 4
By Jeffrey Agbo
The remains of renowned educationist and author, Esther Okafor, will be buried in her hometown Oko in Orumba North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State on January 4, 2025.
Mrs. Okafor, a one-time head of the Department of Language Arts at Federal Polytechnic Oko, is the author of several books including Basic Course in English Grammar for Schools and Colleges (2000), Essential Communication Skills in English (2002) among others. She also made several publications in theology and spiritual purity.
Born in 1941 to the royal family of Nsetuk Essien Nsien of Eket LGA of Akwa Ibom State, she was married to a renowned pianist, Engr. Benard Okafor, an avid reader who curated a library collection of over 3,000 books with whom she built a life rooted in education, culture and intellectual pursuit. Her academic foray began from Eket Primary School and Ogoja Secondary School to the College of Education, Uyo before she moved to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where she graduated with a second-class upper division in Language Arts.
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Her passion for education led her to a distinguished career as an educationist, teaching at various institutions including National Secondary School, Nike, Enugu; Federal Government College, Kano; Oko Girl’s Secondary School, Oko before she joined the Department of Language Arts at Fedpoly Oko where she rose to the rank of a senior lecturer and was appointed head of the department.
During her illustrious career which saw her retained by the polytechnic after her retirement, she also pursued her theological interests, enrolling at the Redeemed Christian Bible College for a Diploma in Theology and passed with Distinction in 2008. She later enrolled at Word of Faith Bible Institute, Winners Chapel, Awka where she earned distinctions in both the Basic Certificate Course and Leadership Certificate Course.
An active member of the Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican Communion (EFAC) and a leader in the evangelism division, she also founded the Soul Winning Ministry in Oko, Anambra State through which she authored notable evangelical books including ‘And He Sought To See Jesus’ (2013), ‘Simple Ways of Winning Souls Successfully’ (2016), and ‘Evangelism Strategies Simplified’ (2016).
According to her son Obi Okafor, the deceased left behind a legacy of dedication, faith and scholarly excellence and would be remembered and cherished by all who knew her.
