Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike, born in Anambra state, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 is a Nigerian writer known for a mixture of lampoon, humor and satire. He owes a little bit of his style to his Igbo

Igbo people

Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...

 cultural upbringing. He studied history, English and Religious Studies at the University of Ibadan

University of Ibadan

The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...

 and earned a masters degree at Stanford university

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

.
Among many youths, he is popular as the author of Expo '77, a critical look at academic examination abuses in West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

.

Early years

Ike was given the Christian name of Vincent but later chose his Nigerian name, Chukwuemeka as his preferred choice (meaning "God has done great"). He was raised in a strict home. His father was a farmer, civic leader and disciplinarian who instilled in his son the necessity of civic duties and education. Chukwuemeka started early education at an Aro

Aro

Aro may refer to:* Aro people, an Igbo subgroup in West Africa* Aro Confederacy, a precolonial Igbo trading oligarchy in West Africa* Årø , a small island in the Lillebælt in Denmark* Årø, Norway, a neighborhood of Molde...

 school in his native town. He left his town for further education at Ife-Mbaise and Umuahia

Umuahia

Umuahia is the capital of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to Umuahia's south and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia's indigenous ethnic group are the...

. Eminent Nigerians who attended the same school includeChinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe

Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe popularly known as Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic...

, Christopher Okigbo

Christopher Okigbo

Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo was a Nigerian poet, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as the outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the twentieth century.-Early life:Okigbo was born on August...

, and Ken Saro Wiwa. After completing his secondary education, he studied at the University of Ibadan.
He currently holds the title of "Ikelionwu XI" in his hometown of Ndikelionwu in Anambra State.

Expo 77

In later years, expo in Nigeria became synonymous with academic cheating. In Expo 77, Ike tackles the issue of examination abuses. He explores cheating through the eyes of a university registrar who is forced to hire a detective due to the lack of trust he has in some of his applicants resumés because test questions have been leaked. The detective later discovers a wide variety of examination abuses; from the parents who demand new test results for their children, to principals who allow students to bring in text books for closed examinations. The author believed it was partly the corruption of the nation's leaders which had permeated the society and led to the rampant unethical excesses.

His hometown of Ndikelionwu is featured regularly in his works notably Potter's Wheel, Toads for Supper and Bottled Leopard

Works

• Toads for Supper (London: Harvill Press, 1965)
• The Naked Gods (London: Harvill Press, 1970) ISBN 0-00-271555-4
• The Potter's Wheel (London: Harvill Press, 1973) ISBN 0-00-271620-8
• Sunset at Dawn (Collins & Harvill Press,, 1976) ISBN 0-00-261807-9
• Expo '77 (Fontana, 1980) ISBN 0-00-616063-8
• The Chicken Chasers (Fontana, 1980) ISBN 0-00-615947-8
• The Bottled Leopard (1985) ISBN 978-154-778-2
• Our Children Are Coming (Ibadan: Spectrum Books 1990) ISBN 978-246-021-4