Agriculturist, Physician, Politician
Dr. Vincent Keniye Kalaiti was a man of two professions: an agriculturist and later a medical doctor. His immense contributions to the agricultural sector and health services in old Rivers State were notable and undisputable from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Who was Dr. Vincent Keniye Kalaiti?
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti (1932-1990), fondly known as VK, was an astute agricultural officer in the then Eastern Nigeria, administering Yenagoa and Degema provinces. Later, he became a medical doctor in the 1980s. He was known for his stellar qualities, dedication, professionalism, and thoroughness during his tenure as Chief Medical Director at Niger Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti’s Wife and Children
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti was married to Mrs. Ibarafakumo Kalaiti, a retired nursing officer with the Bayelsa State Hospital Management Board. They had ten children.
When and Where was He Born?
Dr. Vincent Keniye Kalaiti was born on April 4, 1932, in Tombia, Ekpetiama clan, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Eastern Nigeria (now Bayelsa State).
Family and Early Life
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti’s father was Mr. Eneruwe Kalaiti of Tombia, Ekpetiama, and his mother was Mrs. Kerenke Kalaiti, an adventurous and industrious woman from Igbedi in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, all of Bayelsa State (then Rivers State). His mother had a significant influence on his life, supporting him through his early education at Tombia-Ekpetiama and Amassoma.
Education
He had his primary education at Mr. R.P. Indo’s Private School, Tombia, and left after passing the highest class in the school (Standard Three) at the end of 1944. His quest to complete primary school education took him to Group School Obunagha, Taylor Creek, for Standard Four, and St. Stephen’s School, Amassoma, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate.
He attended the renowned Okrika Grammar School, Okrika, from 1948 to 1952, where he was known as VK. He was a handsome and brilliant student. In 1953, he gained admission to University College Ibadan to study Agricultural Science and graduated in 1956.
In the 1960s, he secured a scholarship and attended several higher institutions abroad, such as Huddersfield College of Technology, United Kingdom, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and Warsaw Medical Academy, Poland. He was an erudite scholar.
Career
After his overseas education, Dr. Kalaiti returned to Nigeria, where he served as an agricultural officer in charge of Yenagoa and Degema Provinces before General Yakubu Gowon created Rivers State in 1967. While serving in Degema, he represented the then Senior Divisional Officer in charge of Degema Province in conducting the 1963 census and later elections in the area.
Industrious, tireless, and hard-working, Dr. Kalaiti served as the Medical Officer in charge of Niger Hospital, Port Harcourt, from 1985 to October 1990. He retired as a senior civil servant.
As a Politician
After retiring from civil service, Dr. Kalaiti desired to serve his fatherland in another capacity. His close friends and associates could not prevent him from retirement when his deep and seasoned experience in government was needed for the state’s development. VK was a motivator. He heeded the call in 1990 when he ran for the office of Governor of the then Rivers State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alongside contemporaries like Sergeant Awuse (SDP), Bekinbo Soberekon (SDP), and Zebulon Abule (NRC). However, his political ambition was cut short by his untimely death.
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti’s Public Life
Dr. Vincent Keniye Kalaiti was appropriately described as a “man of the people.” He belonged to many associations and clubs, which were his veritable sources of grassroots acceptance and popularity. He was chairman in some, secretary in others, and an effective and functional member in those where he was not an official. Some of the various organizations he was a member of include: Okrika Grammar School Old Boys Association, Fish Farmers and Aqua-culturists Association (Rivers State Chapter), All Saints Anglican (Izon) Church, Port Harcourt, Wo-Ibe Social Club, Izon National Forum, Nigerian Medical Association, Eastern Block Graduates Association, League of Friends, Niger Hospital, and Heads of Rivers State (Doctors) Hospital Association. He was widely known in Rivers State, and some knew him as a gubernatorial aspirant.
His Major Achievements
He fought to bring development to his people. Some of his modest efforts were seen in employment, where he was responsible for employing many from Ekpetiama and Gbarain clans and Igbedi community into the state’s agricultural sector. In education, he tried to establish a commercial school in Tombia-Ekpetiama, his hometown. He was also paramount in the struggle to cite the headquarters of the Yenagoa Local Government Area in Akaibiri-Ekpetiama, which was aborted due to the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. As a medical practitioner, his services were almost always free for his people.
His Faith
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti was a member of the Anglican Communion. He worshipped at All Saints Anglican (Izon) Church, Port Harcourt. Based on the Anglican doctrine he imbibed, Dr. Kalaiti lived his life without fear or favor. He was a principled technocrat, a man of transparent honesty and integrity, an astute defender of truth, a man of action, and one committed to the service of humanity. VK was an embodiment of a sound mind in a sound body.
When Did Vincent Keniye Kalaiti Die?
Vincent Keniye Kalaiti had a chronic stroke and died thereafter in Port Harcourt, circa December 1990. He was buried in his hometown, Tombia-Ekpetiama, in February 1991, aged 58 years.
