AdminThe family of late Ambassador Ejeviome Eloho Otobo has announced that his interment will be held on Friday 22 July, 2022 at the Gate of Heaven, Westchester County, New York.
This was announced by the Westchester Funeral Home, managing the memorial. Ambassador Otobo passed away on June 23, 2022 at Tuckahoe, in Westchester County, New York, United States, where he has been residing for many years.
He was born on October 10, 1951. He was 70 years of age and survived by his wife of 43 years. He was a devoted father to Ufuoma Oghenecaro Otobo, Aghogho Elo Otobo, Oheri Uyoyo Otobo and Ejiro Uzeozi Otobo.
Until his death, Ambassador Otobo was a director at the board of Newstide Publications, publishers of Prime Business Africa. He was also a member of the Editorial Board of Prime Business Africa where he made invaluable contributions in editorial matters of the online business newspaper.
Eloho, as he preferred to be called by his friends and colleagues, was the first of five children of Chief John H. Otobo and grew up in Otibio-Owhe, Nigeria. He attended primary school, secondary school and graduated with his first degree in Sociology in 1975. Three years after graduating from college, he married his wife, Esther Uroghome.
After working for the Nigerian mission for seven years, he went to Harvard University Kennedy School of government for his postgraduate studies in 1984. He returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria after graduating with his master’s degree. In 1986, he was posted to the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations in New York as a Senior Counselor (in Economic affairs). He left the ministry and started working for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1990.
In April 2002, Eloho was transferred on promotion to the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he held the position of Principal Affairs Officer in the Office of Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries (OSCAL).
Two years before he retired, Otobo was appointed as Ambassador-in-situ, by the Nigerian government in recognition of his contribution to Nigeria’s diplomacy and the foreign policy. Post retirement, he was appointed a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Peacebuilding and Global Economic Policy at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, Belgium.
Otobo was a prolific writer with several book publications to his credit. One if them is his book on Africa in Transition: A New Way of Looking at Progress in the Region, which was nominated for the Grand Prix of Literary Associations Award, 2018 in the Research category. He also wrote several newspaper publications for Nigeria, France and England.
He was active in local community and Church affairs as he was in international affairs. He served as Vice President of the Isoko Association New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from 2009 – 2013 and was a member of the Isoko Action Committee of the Isoko Association of North America, which played a lead advocacy role for the political solidarity, economic development, and social progress of Isoko people in Delta state in Nigeria. He served as a Secretary for the Holy Name Society of Annunciation – Our Lady of Fatima (Catholic) Church in Crestwood/Scarsdale from 2017 until his death in June of 2022.
Though very work-focused, he had a lot of hobbies that he enjoyed including traveling, writing, weekend walks, planning events and listening to music. Some of the artists he listened to frequently include Fela Kuti, Osadebe, Fleetwood Mac, Isaac Hayes, Adele, James Blunt, Barry White, Al Greene, Lionel Richie, Sam Cooke, Simon and Garfunkel, to name a few. Eloho will be missed by so many, but his legacy will forever live on.
The entire members of the Otobo family would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those that have supported us, in one way or other, in easing the pains of our bereavement.
A gofundme has been made for those who would like to contribute to his family during this difficult time. Please click on the following link to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ejeviome-eloho-otobos-funeral-and-memorial-fund?
The family will receive friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors and his extend community to say their final goodbyes during his memorial service.
According to the family, friends will be received at the Westchester Funeral Home, Inc. Eastchester on Friday, July 22, 2022, by 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Prayer Service, on the same day at 12:00 pm at Westchester Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven, Cemetery.
To visit his memorial site, include your tributes, and to receive updated information about the memorial kindly visit: https://www.forevermissed.com/ejeviome-eloho-otobo/about
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