The inaugural lecture of Prof. Gabriel Babawale, an estate surveyor and valuer, at the main auditorium of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Yaba-Lagos on Wednesday, 24th May rekindled the memories of the mechanical engineering genius, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi delivering public lecture at the same auditorium decades ago. My supplication then, like so many ambitious students across the country, was for one to be endowed with Awojobi’s academic brilliance, the Albert Einstein of our time.
As Babawale’s lecture on ‘Valuation Accuracy’ came to a close, savouring the academic atmosphere, I strolled down to the Faculty of Engineering in the company of my colleagues in the advocacy for building collapse prevention, Dr. Isaac Akiije, Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers, Lagos State chapter. He is also Vice Chairman of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) Lagos State chapter. Also there was Dr. David Adio-Moses, an architect and past BCPG Secretary, Bariga cell. Both of them are lecturers at UNILAG.
I paid a visit to the Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Ikponmwosa Efe Ewaen. The three lecturers lamented the japa (emigration) syndrome that has changed the orientation of Nigerian youths, resulting in the destructive brain drain (emigration of lecturers, especially the young ones) within the nation’s academic institutions.
The current situation is a sharp contrast to Awojobi’s patriotic feeling, who returned from Europe to contribute his knowledge to the development of Nigeria. One of his major inventions, Autonov 1 (the bi- directional automobile that could go backwards without engaging gear) is still displayed in the mechanical engineering workshop of the university.
We stepped out to the quadrangle where Awojobi’s bust was mounted. The bust triggered off in my memory a chain of activities that led to its unveiling on 9th July 2008 by the then Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, courtesy of UNILAG Engineering Students of Class 1969 to 1972.
Going back in time to late 1998 when I paid a visit to UNILAG. In an interraction with some of the students, to my chagrin, I discovered that the name, Awojobi, who died on 23rd September 1984 at the age of 47 while lecturing at UNILAG, sounded strange in their ears. The Professor was the first African to be awarded a Doctor of Science degree in Vibration in Applied Mechanics by the University of London. He was popular among students because of his unique approach to teaching. His teaching methodology demystified complex equations, simplified mathematical applications, making calculations attractive to students. Hence, he was nicknamed ‘Professor Dead Easy’. His appellation in the media was ‘The Giant of Akoka’. For a man who contributed immensely to the development of education to have been so soon forgotten implied ingratitude.
“What is to be done”? I asked myself. “Result-oriented advocacy for immortalisation”, a reply came intuitively.
How?
Experience has taught me that communication and advocacy, if well driven, could bring positive outcome on a challenging issue.
As a student in the tertiary institution during the Muhammadu Buhari-Tunde Idiagbon regime in 1984/85, it occurred to me to reach out to the Federal Government to address certain national issues.
Ignoring warnings from those who perceived the military as intolerant, intransigent and inaccessible, I did a letter to the Head-of-State, articulating my suggestions. Contrary to the fears people nursed about military regime, on 29th August 1984, I received a reply directly from the Head-of-State, State House, Dodan Barracks, Obalende in Lagos, acknowledging my letter. One or two of my suggestions were later implemented. It was an encouraging proof that the tough Buhari-Idiagbon military regime had listening ears afterall.
On Thursday, 11th October 1984, spurred by the excitement of composing a poem on War Against Indiscipline (WAI – the mantra of that regime), and armed with photocopies of the poem that I planned to distribute among students, I walked confidently into the Governor’s office at Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta. The inspiration for the poem came during my short stay in Abeokuta. However, it was my first visit to this military government compound. I passed through the checkpoint and proceeded to the building housing the Governor’s office. I climbed the stairs and opened the door to then Colonel Oladipo Diya’s office. The aide-de-camp asked for my mission. I gladly showed him the poem I wanted to present to his boss as my contribution to WAI campaign.
His primary concern was security. He summoned an emergency meeting of the Heads of Security units, including that of the National Security Organisation. He chided them for the security lapse.
The aide-de-camp wondered: “How could this young man get to the Governor’s office unchecked and unhindered”?
In the meantime, the poem was read. It doused their apprehension. They commended my initiative and agreed that the poem was worth distributing across schools. I apologised for invading their privacy, breaking protocol. They realised that I was only a young but harmless Nigerian driven with zeal and passion for the good of the fatherland. I left the place a fulfilled young man. Soldiers were quite reasonable and accommodating, I admitted.
My mind wandered to another experience. Following the upward review of fuel price in accordance with the Structural Adjustment Programme in April, 1988, prices of foodstuff and transport skyrocketed across the nation. Cost of living became high and unbearable for those of us undergoing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Port Harcourt. I wrote a letter to the then military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, analysing our precarious situation. I sent a copy of the letter to Group Captain Ernest Adeleye, who was, at that time, the Nigerian Airforce Base Commander in Port Harcourt and also the Acting Governor of Rivers State.
I was invited to his office at the NAF Base on 27th April 1988. Ensconced behind his table, he directed me to a seat opposite him while senior Airforce officers remained standing.
Using the method of Budgeting and Financial Control, I adumbrated the monthly expenditure of an average corps member. Juxtaposing it with the paltry salary called allowance, the inadequacy of the income from the NYSC/government became palpable. All the officers shook their heads pitifully.
The Supreme Military Council, headed by Babangida, considered our plight and increased the monthly allowance of NYSC members across the nation from N150 to N200. We heaved a sigh of relief and commended the Babangida regime for giving us a listening ear.
If the military governments were accessible and considerate, I believe an appropriate approach could make the civilian government immortalise Awojobi.
I initiated a series of advocacy in the media with articles and physical interviews, bringing to fore Awojobi’s academic prowess and good governance activities. Almost all the media houses in the country played a role in this exercise free-of-charge. Like a mammoth, Awojobi’s large following arose from – as it were – a collective amnesia. Many thanks to media chieftains. They were wonderful friends, who considered the advocacy a worthy cause.
Mobilising the UNILAG authorities – the students’ union led by Ponnle Oloyede; the old students being co-ordinated by Tunde Adebanjo and Engr. Titi Omo-Ettu; notable Awojobi followers and admirers beyond the campus such as General Ishola Williams and Mr. A. Ajayi; and the Awojobi family members – we commenced Ayodele Awojobi Annual Memorial Lecture. A foundation was constituted for the professor and I was chosen to preside over it.
The first memorial lecture was held at the Arts Theatre, Unilag on Friday, 12th March 1999 to mark his 62nd posthumous birthday. The then Dean of Faculty of Law, Prof. Akin Oyebode delivered the lecture titled, Which Way Forward in the Next Millennium?
The event was honoured by many dignitaries, including the then Governor-elect of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the former General Secretary, National Democratic Coalition, Mr. Ayo Opadokun; Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe; Otunba Gbenga Daniel (a mechanical engineering student of Awojobi); legal luminary, Mr. Femi Falana; Senator-elect, Tokunboh Afikuyomi; media chieftains: Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Dr. G.G. Darah, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Mr. Dele Alake, Mr. Kayode Komolafe and Mr. Tunji Bello.
Immortalising Awojobi’s ideas in my own little way, Vizan Tragedy, a scientific novel that I wrote, was dedicated to him and presented to the public at the LTV Hall, Ikeja on 23rd September 2007 to mark his 23rd year in the great beyond.
The book was reviewed by Dr. Reuben Abati, while the event was chaired by the past President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr. Odia Ofeimun. Mr. Dare Babarinsa, then of the Tell magazine; Ogun State Commissioner of Education, Otunba Francis Banwo; Mr. Agele Alufohai (the 21st President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors); and Chief Ferdinand Alufuo, who came from London to attend the event, all analysed the qualities of the Akoka Giant from various perspectives.
Awojobi was an indigene of Ikorodu in Lagos State, hence, the state government ought to recognise his achievements. Consequently, I wrote a poignant letter to Governor Babatunde Raji-Fashola. Moved by the narrative, he accepted to do something for the genius. He preferred to construct a park for him in an academic environment.
On 20th October 2009, at a well-attended event, Fashola personally came to unveil Awojobi’s statue that was erected in the lovely park at Onike Round-about, a stone’s throw from Unilag.
Rising to the challenge of the advocacy, the then Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Hon. Jide Jimoh, also an admirer of the ‘Dead Easy Professor’, named the road that passed through the park, Onike Round-about from Herbert Macaulay Road to UNILAG Second Gate; Prof. Ayodele Awojobi Avenue. The event, held on 23rd September 2010 to mark the 26th anniversary of his demise, recorded a long walk along this avenue by UNILAG officials and Awojobi admirers from all walks of life.
The Federal Government also responded to the clarion call by placing Awojobi’s image on postage stamp in order to make his name undying spirit.
The success recorded in this mission was enabled by the rule that personal or pecuniary interest should not be mixed with, or allowed to jeopardise a serious cause. If not, public office holders would doubt the genuineness of such cause.
Honour accorded a non-wealthy man in death was a lesson to all. Avarice begets vanity, reminding mortal man to always look to his ending. Sophocles, the Greek tragedian, was deep in thought. The Hippocrates’ maxim in Latin, Ars longa, vita brevis (Art is long, life is short) conveys, in a way, the superiority of ‘service to humanity’. Whatever humanitarian service one renders today becomes history tomorrow.
A tap on my back startled me from the reverie. “Let’s take the picture”, Adio-Moses said. The four of us posed by Awojobi’s bust as shown in the attached photograph.
As we sauntered to join the Chairman of the Association of Builders in Academia, Prof. Martin Dada by the University of Lagos Bookshop, I espied the multi-storey library building, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund that had a partial collapse during construction on 14th February 2019 due to formwork failure. It reminded me of the four-storey building that collapsed under construction on 12th February 2022 at 16, Akanbi Crescent by the boundary of UNILAG. Four persons died in the private hostel building that was at completion stage. Many UNILAG students would have perished if the collapse had happened much later after the hostel would have been occupied.
In a panoramic view, I admired those imposing complex buildings that were constructed on this campus in the 1960s and 1970s; the buildings have stood the test of time like the Rock of Gibraltar. Why should new buildings be collapsing?
Consequently, I interrogated the lecturers on the prospects of BCPG Bariga cell. The Guild that we founded in 2011 was aimed at attenuating the menace of building collapse in our environment.
We divided Lagos State into units termed BCPG Cells to enable our members across the state exercise close watch on building projects in their neighbourhoods. This grassroots approach revealed the high level of substandard building construction in the state and beyond. The recklessness and impunity with which such shoddy construction works were being carried out stemmed from the fact that nobody has been successfully prosecuted in Nigeria for building collapse offences, thereby weakening the force and factor of deterrence.
The BCPG Bariga cell, under the leadership of Prof. Olaniyi Okedele, an architect, usually held its meetings at UNILAG. The institution stood as the confluence between BCPG’s Bariga and Yaba cells that is being led by Engr. Friday Chukwu.
“It seems BCPG activities in your cell have slowed down”, I enquired.
The lecturers lamented about the efforts they had put into this cause of building collapse prevention pro bono without commensurate response from the government. They complained about the poor condition of service for officials of Lagos State Building Control Agency that might hinder satisfactory output. Moreover, compromise was an issue the ministry would have to contend with.
The record of building collapse in Nigeria since 1974 that is being compiled and updated by the BCPG statisticians/analysts headed, by Engr. Charles Oresanwo, indicates a rise in the monthly rate of building collapse in Nigeria, especially Lagos State in recent times.
In view of this pathetic situation, I encouraged my colleagues not to allow their enthusiasm to be dampened. They should gird their loins rather than retreat to pessimism and inaction. In the face of incessant collapse of buildings, the onus lies on us to prove to the world that competent building industry professionals exist in Nigeria.
If the product of my profession is naturally expected to protect its occupants and be a source of joy and pride to homeowners, I profoundly reject its dysfunction to endangering lives. The counsel of Philip Stanhope should prevail: “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well”.
Selfless service being rendered by BCPG members has convinced me that patriotism still flows in the blood of some Nigerians. If the BCPG huge structure, extensive network and solidarity-cum-commitment among members can be sustained, the menace of building collapse and loss of lives will suffer a serious decline.
Though it is unfortunate that due to sentiments and opportunism, certain square pegs are still allowed to occupy round holes in the government circles, of course, it should not be business as usual for an administration that wishes to etch performance and success in the memory of its citizenry.
The support of the media to our crusade against building collapse has been remarkable. With relentless advocacy and use of right communication channels, the campaign against building collapse would definitely meet government receptive ear.
On Thursday, 28th November 2019, the House of Representatives, deeply worried by the unrelenting spate of building collapse in Nigeria, passed a resolution which included, among others, that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing should liaise with the Building Collapse Prevention Guild towards extirpating severe losses caused by the menace.
Building collapse is a man- made problem. Certainly, nothing sublunary is supramundane. With sincerity of purpose and commitment by all stakeholders, we can win the battle against building collapse.
Awobodu, a Builder, is advocate against building collapse. Immediate Past President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, he was Pioneer President of Building Collapse Prevention Guild and former coordinator, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi Foundation.
