John Ejaife, MD, and Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, MD, Share Notes on Chief Dr. Frederick O. Esiri

Subject:

RE: May the Soul of Chief Dr. Frederick O. Esiri Rest in Peace

From:

"jejaife" <jejaife@rochester.rr.com>

Date:

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:44:44 -0500

To:

"'Urhobo History'" <UrhoboHistory@waado.org>

CC:

"'Albert Esiri'" <albert@ashbert.com>

I fully concur with Dr Ekeh. Chief Dr. Frederick Ojirigho Esiri was the first Urhobo doctor..He was one of those who had his early training at Yaba Technical College Lagos and then went on to the UK to get his formal medical degree. This was followed by sub specialization in ENT ( Otolaryngology). He practiced in many parts of the country as a government employee in places like Calabar (East), Abeokuta (West) , and Bukuru (North), before settling in Warri in 1947 I recall his early days in Warri when he gave me a ride in his new car, an Austin 16. He was a contemporary and very close friend of my father, the late Chief MG Ejaife. He was like a second father to me. I believe he was probably the first person to influence my decision to choose the medical profession as my career. I had many occasions to observe him work at his infirmary in Warri .He was one of my mentors and provided medical care to my entire family in Nigeria..

I can almost say I owe my existence to him because It was his late wife Agnes who introduced my mother to my father and the rest is history. He has indeed been a stalwart in the Urhobo community and a great loss to the Warri community for which he provided so much medical care and shared his wisdom over seven decades. He will sorely missed by those of us who knew him so closely

I leave it to other historians to chronicle his renowned history but I will be glad to contribute whatever else I know about him.

May his soul rest in peace.

John Ejaife MD

(2)

Subject:

RE: May the Soul of Chief Dr. Frederick O. Esiri Rest in Peace

From:

"Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor" <Ajovi.Scott-Emuakpor@hc.msu.edu>

Date:

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:57:40 -0500

To:

"Urhobo Kinsfolk" <urhobo@kinsfolk.com>

When Dr. John Ejaife called to inform me of the passing of Dr. Esiri, I had already just been informed by my cousin's son, who happens to be a grandson of the the late icon, Dr. Temisan Etikerentse. Dr Ejaife said to me, "Ajovi, I just have to go home. This man was like my father. He had a big heart towards me and treated me like his son. He took care of my mother throughout the turbulent period of her illness and made sure she lived well and died well. Everytime i go home, I make it a point of duty to see him".

I may not have quoted his exact words, but that was the essence of our conversation. I sensed a deep reflection in Dr. Ejaife's voice, I felt how his heart was softened and how his understanding of the man sharpened by the grief he felt.

People who make us feel the way Dr. Ejaife felt are special people. My knowledge of Dr. Esiri was from a distance and through his children who were in my age-group, Mr. Raymond Esiri and Ms. Aurelia Etikerentse (nee Esiri). From a distance, he was a man whose stature was larger than life in the entire Warri community. He was as caring as he was giving. He gave without expecting any rewards. He served the Urhobo people with enormous zeal and with class. He served the Warri community with selfless attention and grace. Through the eyes of his children, he was a father, guide, protector, mentor and friend of incomparable strenght who, after 97 years of living, felt his time has come to depart. We salute him with all our might. Thank God one of his last public services was the writing of the Forward to the book on SALUBI, published by the Urhobo Historical Society.

We should all be reminded by the fact that there probably is no death. What seems like death is mere Transition. The life of mortal breath is but a surburb of the Life Eternal, whose portal we call death (extracted from the poem of Henry W. Longfellow).

May Dr. Esiri's Elegant Soul Rest in Peace.

Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor

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