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Alvan Azinna Ikoku wanda akafi sani da ALVAN IKOKU shine mutumin da ke kan takardar naira 10. An haife shi, a ranar 1 ga watan Agusta, shekarar alif 1900, shine ɗa ga wani hamshakan attajiri a ƙaramin garin Amanagwu, Arochukwu, dake jihar Abia a yanzu. An haifi Ikoku wata uku bayan rasuwar mahaifinsa, saboda haka, sunan, “Azinna”, na nufin wanda aka haifa bayan mahaifinsa.
Duk da cewa Alvan Ikoku dan kabilar Ibo ne daga Arochukwu, mahaifiyarsa ‘yar Efik ce daga Calabar, wanda take Jihar Cross Rive a yanzu, inda ya yi karatu a Cibiyar horarwa ta Hope Waddell. kuma ya yi shekarunsa na girma a Calabar.
A matsayinsa na dalibi kumamalami a Itigidi, Cross River a yanzu, Alvan Ikoku ya haɗu da matarsa, Goomsu, wadda ita ma ‘yar Efik ce daga Calabar kuma ta kasance matar sa ta farko. Tare da ita, sun samu yara shida.
Alvan Ikoku da dansa, Samuel Goomsu Ikoku (1922-1997), sun kasance abokan hamayyar siyasa. Samuel ya ci zaben da aka kara shi da mahaifinsa a zaben Majalisar yankin Gabas a ranar 15 ga watan Maris, shekarar alif 1957.
A matsayinsa na masanin ilimi, Alvan Ikoku ya kafa makarantar sakandare mai zaman kanta ta farko a Najeriya, mai suna Aggrey Memorial college, Arochukwu, ta Jihar Abia a yanzu, a cikin shekarar alif 1932. Ya sanya wa kwalejin sunan wani malami kuma dan kasar Ghana, mi suna James E.K Aggrey. Da farko, Kwalejin ta kasance makarantar horar da malamai, daga baya aka mayar da ita cikakkiyar makarantar sakandare a shekarar alif 1935.
A makarantar Aggrey, ya kasance shugaban makaranta na tsawon shekaru 39, Alvan Ikoku ya samar da subject ɗin kafinta, wanda ya kira shi “ilimin koyo da hannu.” Abin sha’awa, ɗalibai sun sami damar koyo da yin tebura, kujeru, da sauransu duk da kansu.
A shekarar alif 1955, a matsayinsa na shugaban kungiyar malamai ta kasa NUT, Ikoku na kan gaba wajen fafutukar tabbatar da koyarwar malamai sannan kuma ya caccaki tsarin ilimi na lokacin da rashin koyar da harsunan gida.
A matsayinsa na dan Majalisar Gabas, Alvan Ikoku ya kafa asibiti da gidan tura da kuma karɓar sako wato (Post Office) ga jama’arsa a Arochukwu. Shi ma ya taka rawar gani wajen gina manyan tituna biyu da suka hada Arochukwu da Umuahia da Itu, ta jihar Akwa-Ibom a yanzu.
Ikoku ya kuma yi gwagwarmayar samar da ruwan famfo ga mutanen Arochukwu. A lokacin da gwamnatin Gabashin Najeriya ta kafa kwamitin ilimi da zai yi wa tsarin ilimi kwaskwarima a shekarar alif 1962, an nada Ikoku a matsayin shugaba. Alvan Ikoku kuma ya kasance mai karɓar Order of the British Empire (OBE). A lokacin Mutanen sa sun zarge shi da goyon bayan Burtaniya.
MUTUWAR SA:
Alvan Azinna Ikoku, ya kasance mai bin koyar war addinin Protestant, ya rasu ne a sakamakon rashin lafiya da ya yi fama da shi ta mutuwar barin jiki a ranar 18 ga watan Nuwambar shekarar alif 1971, a babban asibitin Aba, a jihar Abia. Ya mutu yana da shekara 71.
An sanya sunansa a wurare da dama bayan rasuwar sa. Babban daga cikinsu shi ne Kwalejin Ilimi ta Tarayya ta Alvan Ikoku da ke Owerri, Jihar Imo, wadda ita ce makaranta ta farko da ta kafa cikakkiyar Sashen Harshen Ibo a Najeriya a shekarar alif 1975. An fara sanya hotonsa cikin takar dar nera 10 a shekarar alif 1979.
