Dr Okoi Arikpo was born on 20 September 1916, at a time when formal education was becoming a pathway into public responsibility for a small but growing Nigerian elite. His professional life began not in politics but in the classroom, where discipline, method, and clarity of thought were essential.
He served as an assistant master at Government College, Umuahia, before moving to Higher College, Yaba, where he worked as an assistant lecturer in chemistry. His teaching career also took him to King’s College, Lagos, and later to Government College, Ibadan. These institutions were among the most influential schools of their time, producing many of the administrators and professionals who would later shape Nigeria’s public life.
Teaching in these settings required more than subject knowledge. It demanded structure, patience, and the ability to train others to think critically. These early years established habits that would define Arikpo’s later public service.
Anthropology and intellectual expansion in London
In the late 1940s, Arikpo travelled to London, where he became involved in anthropology research and lecturing at University College London between 1949 and 1951. Anthropology exposed him to systematic study of societies, cultures, and political organisation, an academic grounding that would later inform his approach to governance and diplomacy.
A personal moment from this period survives in a dated photograph taken on 2 November 1950, showing Arikpo and his wife, Asi Archibong Arikpo, at Euston Station in London as they departed on the “Apapa” boat train for Nigeria. The image reflects a broader historical pattern of West African professionals moving between Britain and home, carrying education and experience back to a society in transition.
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Legal training and preparation for public life
In 1956, Arikpo was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn, London. By then, his intellectual formation spanned science, anthropology, and law. This combination was unusual and valuable in a period when Nigeria was negotiating constitutional change and preparing for self government.
Legal training sharpened his understanding of institutions, authority, and procedure. It also prepared him for the complexities of legislative debate, administrative responsibility, and later, international diplomacy.
Entry into politics and legislative service
Arikpo entered formal politics in the early 1950s. He served as a member of the Eastern House of Assembly from 1951 to 1953, and later as a member of the House of Representatives from 1953 to 1954. These were years of intense political discussion about Nigeria’s constitutional future, federal structure, and regional balance.
During this period, Arikpo held central ministerial responsibility. Parliamentary records from July 1953 list him as Central Minister of Lands, Survey, Local Development, and Communications. The portfolio placed him at the heart of practical governance, dealing with land administration, infrastructure planning, and development issues that affected daily life across regions.
Lands, survey, and development responsibilities
The responsibilities attached to Lands and Survey extended beyond technical mapping. They touched questions of land use, settlement planning, and the management of space in a rapidly changing society. Combined with local development and communications, the portfolio reflected the administrative demands of a country moving toward greater autonomy.
Arikpo’s work in this area connected policy to implementation, linking constitutional discussions to the physical and administrative realities of governance.
Legal practice and higher education administration
After his early political roles, Arikpo spent a significant period in private legal practice. This phase kept him engaged with Nigerian civic life and grounded in the legal realities facing individuals, businesses, and institutions.
Alongside legal practice, he served as Secretary of the National Universities Commission in Lagos during the mid 1960s. The commission played a key role in coordinating higher education policy at a time when Nigeria was expanding its university system. His involvement placed him at the centre of decisions about academic standards, institutional planning, and national educational priorities.
Writing Nigeria’s development
Arikpo was also a writer. In 1967, his book The Development of Modern Nigeria was published by Penguin. The work reflected a broader tradition among Nigeria’s mid twentieth century public figures, who believed that national development could be examined, debated, and documented through serious writing.
The book remains part of the recorded literature on Nigeria’s political and social evolution, linking Arikpo’s public service to his intellectual engagement with the country’s future.
Federal service under Gowon, Trade and External Affairs
Arikpo’s most prominent executive roles came during the government of General Yakubu Gowon. He served as Federal Commissioner for Trade from June 1967 to September 1968, a period marked by economic strain and national crisis.
He was subsequently appointed Federal Commissioner for External Affairs, a position he held from September 1968 until July 1975. These years coincided with the Nigerian civil war and its aftermath, when foreign policy was central to national survival and international legitimacy.
As Commissioner for External Affairs, Arikpo represented Nigeria in a global environment shaped by Cold War politics, African solidarity movements, and intense diplomatic pressure. His role required sustained engagement with foreign governments, international organisations, and regional partners at a time when Nigeria’s unity and sovereignty were under international scrutiny.
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Final years and enduring legacy
Dr Okoi Arikpo died on 26 October 1995. His life reflects a model of public service built on preparation rather than performance. Teacher, researcher, barrister, legislator, administrator, writer, and diplomat, he moved through each role with the seriousness of someone trained to value institutions and ideas.
His legacy lies not in spectacle but in the quiet work of building, representing, and explaining Nigeria during some of its most demanding years.
Author’s Note
Dr Okoi Arikpo’s life shows how learning can shape leadership, he entered public life through education, refined his thinking through research and law, served in legislative and ministerial roles, helped guide higher education policy, wrote about Nigeria’s development, and carried the country’s voice abroad during a defining era, his story reminds us that national service grounded in discipline and intellect leaves a lasting imprint.
References
BLERF Biography, ARIKPO (Dr.) Okoi (Late).
UK Parliament Hansard, 27 July 1953, Nigeria Constitution and ministerial listings.
United States Department of State, Foreign Relations of the United States, Persons index entries.
Penguin Books catalogue and major library listings for The Development of Modern Nigeria (1967).
Album Online photo archive, Okoi Arikpo and Asi Archibong Arikpo at Euston Station, 2 November 1950.
