Taking Advocacy to Different Spheres of National Life: Building Collapse Prevention, the Current Emphasis

By Kunle Awobodu

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, May 24, 2023 rekindled the memories of the mechanical engineering genius, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi delivering public lecture at the same auditorium years ago. My supplication then, like so many ambitious students across the country,  was for one to be endowed with the academic brilliance of Prof. Awojobi, the Albert Einstein of our time.

In an attempt to decipher the recherché constituents of a genius, from the neighbouring Yaba College of Technology, where I was schooling, I penned a letter to the Unilag lecturer. My request seemed risible, ‘ I want to drink from your knowledge.’  ‘Drink’ ? Extruding a latent euphemism from the orifice  of ‘learn’ !  Prof. Awojobi was  fascinated by the letter, and he asked me some riveting questions, gazing at me intently. Unilag remained my stamping ground before I eventually became a student there.

As Prof. 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, Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers,  Lagos State Chapter, and also Vice Chairman, Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) Lagos State Chapter]; and Dr. David Adio-Moses ( an architect and past Secretary, BCPG Bariga Cell ). Both of them are lecturers here at Unilag.

I paid a visit to the Head of Department of Civil & 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 the patriotic feeling of Prof.  Awojobi, 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 the bust of Prof. Ayodele Awojobi was mounted. The bust triggered off in my memory a chain of activities that led to the unveiling of the bust on July 9, 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, I paid a visit to Unilag. In an interraction with some of the students, to my chagrin, I discovered the name of Prof. Ayodele Awojobi, who died on September 23, 1984 at the age of 47 while still lecturing at Unilag sounded strange in their ears. The Professor was the first African to be awarded a Doctor of Science Degree in the field of 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.

When the unusual lecturer died,  the Unilag Students’ Union named the cafeteria after him. Unfortunately, the name was not inscribed on the building. Time eroded the delible.

‘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 Buhari – Idiagbon Regime, 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 indited a letter to the Head-of-state, articulating my suggestions. Contrary to the fear people nursed about military regime, on August 29, 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, October 11, 1984, spurred by the excitement of composing a poem on War Against Indiscipline (WAI- the mantra of the Buhari- Idiagbon military government), 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  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  Gen. 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 (NSO). 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 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 (SAP) 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, Gen. 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 April 27, 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 adumberated 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 Gen. Ibrahim 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 the name of Prof. Ayodele Awojobi.

I initiated a series of advocacy in the media with articles and physical interviews, bringing to fore the academic prowess and good governance activities of Prof. Awojobi. Almost all the media houses in the country played a role in this exercise free-of-charge. Like a mammoth, the large following of Prof. Awojobi 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 alumni students being co-ordinated by Prof. Olufunsho Akindele ( Head of Mechanical Engineering Department, Unilag), Gen. Tunde Adebanjo and  Engr. Titi Omo- Ettu; notable followers and admirers of Prof. Awojobi beyond the campus such as Gen. Ishola Williams, Barr. Steve Adaramoye, Mr. M.O. Idowu; 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, March 12, 1999 to mark Prof.  Awojobi’s  62nd birthday.

The Dean, 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,  NADECO, Mr. Ayo Opadokun;  Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Oye Ibidapo- Obe;  Otunba Gbenga Daniel ( a mechanical engineering student of Prof. 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.

Later, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of University of Lagos, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN was approached by us to assist in the naming of a  building  within the campus after Prof. Awojobi.

Immortalising  Prof. 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 Radio Lagos Hall, Ikeja on September 23, 2007 to mark his 23rd year in the great beyond.

The book was reviewed by Dr. Reuben Abati of the Guardian Newspaper  while the event was chaired by the past President, Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr. Odia Ofeimun. Mr. Dare Babarinsa of the Tell Magazine; Ogun State Commissioner of Education, Otunba Francis Banwo; Mr. Agele Alufohai (the 21st President, 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.

Prof. 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 October 20, 2009, at a well-attended event,  Governor Babatunde Raji-Fashola personally came to unveil the statue of Prof. Ayodele Awojobi that was erected in the lovely park at Onike Roundabout, a stone’s throw from Unilag.

Rising to the challenge of the advocacy, the 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 Roundabout from Herbert Macaulay Road to Unilag Second Gate; ‘Prof. Ayodele Awojobi Avenue ’. The event, held on September 23, 2010 to mark the 26th anniversary of his demise, recorded a long walk along this avenue by Unilag officials, Local Government staff and Awojobi admirers from all walks of life.

The federal government of Nigeria also responded to the clarion call by placing the image of Prof. Ayodele Awojobi on postage stamp in order to make his name undying.

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,’ reiterated Dr. Adio-Moses.

The four of us posed by Prof. Awojobi’s bust as shown in the attached photograph.

As we sauntered to join the Chairman, Association of Builders in Academia, Prof. Martin Dada  by the University of Lagos Bookshop, I espied the TETFUND sponsored multi-storey library building that had a partial collapse during construction on February 14, 2019 due to formwork failure. It reminded me of the 4-storey building that collapsed under construction on February 12, 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, regularly subjected to wind load from the adjoining lagoon, 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 Building Collapse Prevention Guild that we collectively founded in 2011 as an independent body, a coalition of built environment professionals was aimed at attenuating the menace of building collapse in our milieu.

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 Lagos State and beyond. The recklessness and impunity with which such shoddy construction works were being carried out without supervision stemmed from the fact that  nobody has been successfully prosecuted in Nigeria for building collapse offences, thereby weakening  the force and factor of deterrence.

On Saturday,  August 1, 2015, Mr. Dare Babarinsa and I paid a visit to the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at his Hill Top residence in Abeokuta. In a swift and laconic response to my evangelism against building collapse, he declared that the cause of building collapse was inadequate supervision. Apt! He is an engineer. His opinion corroborated the feedback from some of the BCPG Cells.

The BCPG Bariga Cell under the leadership of Prof. Olaniyi Okedele, an architect, usually held its meetings at Unilag.  Unilag stood as the confluence between BCPG Bariga Cell and BCPG Yaba Cell that was 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. Lip service .  They complained about the poor condition of service for LASBCA (Lagos State Building Control Agency) officials that might hinder satisfactory output. Also identified were the challenges of enforcement. Nonetheless, compromise was an issue the ministry would have to contend with.

The record of collapsed buildings  in Nigeria since 1974, statistical data that are being compiled and updated by the BCPG Technical Committee on Collapsed Buildings’ Record  headed by Engr. Charles Oresanwo indicate 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.

‘ The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,’ so cautioned Edmund Burke.

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 the blood of patriotism still flows in the veins of some Nigerians. If the BCPG huge structure, extensive network, discipline 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,  November 28, 2019, the House of Representatives in Abuja,  deeply worried by the unrelenting spate  of building collapse in Nigeria passed a resolution  ( HR.234 /11/2019) 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 an avoidable man- made problem. Certainly, nothing sublinary is supramundane. With sincerity of purpose and commitment by all stakeholders, we can win the battle against building collapse.

Builder Kunle Awobodu

• Advocate Against Building Collapse.
• Immediate Past President,  Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).
• Pioneer President,  Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).
° Former Coordinator,  Ayodele Awojobi Foundation.