At his recent birthday party in London, I boldly and proudly told the audience that apart from Senior Jumai; his wife , nobody in that room knew Dr Jacob longer than I. I paused for any dissenting voice but of course, no one stood up.
I have known Senior Jacob for more than 54 years.
At Ochaja, Dr Jacob left academic legacy that I’m not sure any student ever matched. At the price giving days, you would hear only one name from his class. You would hear same refrain year in year out until he left.
“Jacob Akoh; first in Mathematics, first in Additional Mathematics, first in Physics, first in Chemistry, first in Biology …”and the whole assembly would burst into a thunderous applause. We the younger students had to help him carry his loot.
But he was a tough prefect and disciplinarian who never suffered fools gladly. We called Akoity at his back. Please don’t report me to him o. He was particularly tougher on those us; his kinsmen from his hometown of Ogugu. Now I know why that was the case. Thank you Senior Jacob.
It was never a surprise when I heard from his mates in Medical schools, colleagues at work and students pouring encomiums on him about both his academic brilliance and professional excellence to the high heavens.
In Ane’Igala, we have a proverb that says a masquerade does not call itself a masquerade.
Such is the presence of this giant that despite his laurels Jacob wants to be addressed simply as “Mr”.
Just as it would have been in Ochaja, here is me introducing Jacob Akoh.
Dr Jacob rose to become a Consultant General Surgeon with practice privileges at The Nuffield Health Plymouth Hospital United Kingdom. This is no mean feat!
He is a Consultant and Transplant Surgeon and a Professor of Surgery with University of Plymouth.
He has been a member of the Training Committee of the British Transplantation Society (BTS), a Director of the South West Transplant Centre and Clinical Director of Surgery and Renal Services.
Professor Akoh is also listed in the Dictionary of International Biography and cited in the 2009 and 2010 editions of Marquis Who’s Who in the World.
His specialist skills include general surgery, renal transplantation, vascular access surgery, parathyroid and thyroid surgery.
Jacob is an examiner for the Intercollegiate Specialty Board in General Surgery and Intercollegiate MRCS and ISCE examiner for the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.
Dr Akoh is a member of many medical societies and has published articles in peer reviewed journals and is co-editor of a book on dialysis access titled, “DIALYSIS ACCESS:
Jacob is a reviewer for fourteen international journals and a member of editorial board of six other journals.
He is an expert referee for the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme. He is also a Rater with the UK National Institute for Health Research Dissemination Centre
He is a Past President of the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG) and ex-officio member of the Nigeria Stroke Reference Group.
He is a member of the Nigeria-UK Health Alliance. Jacob serves on the Board of Operation Hernia (UK charity) and is a Non-Executive Director of NISA Premier Hospitals Ltd, Abuja Nigeria. He trains surgeons in several countries in Africa.
I hope you have not caught headache yet. And the list of his accomplishments goes on ad infinitum.
For me, it is a privilege and honour to have known this prodigious talent from his early days. Double honour and pride that he is a Nigerian, a Kogite and an Igala man doing great exploits in a foreign land.
Folks, let’s give a toast to this great man on his 70th birthday!