Nigerian Universities Need The Spirit Of Obuareghe To Navigate Through Their Broken Down Equipment That Litter Everywhere
The Oasis Reporters
November 20, 2024
Across the length and breadth of Nigeria, the cries of University Vice Chancellors and other administrators have been the declining volume of fundings that they are receiving from the government especially at a time when the country’s inflation rate looks set to hit above 40 percent and higher. That is talking about the government owned universities.
To compound matters, bills are rising and many universities are finding it difficult to cope. So many of the costly equipment that were installed in the past 70 years or more have mostly broken down with no money to get new ones.
A researcher was bemoaning his fate the other day when he got to the University of Uyo and discovered that the only Scanning Electron Microscope in the university system needed for his research in nanotechnology had broken down. He had traveled all the way from the University of Sokoto (North West Nigeria) to conduct his research at Uyo in the South South. Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso that seem resilient in Nanotechnology is believed not to have it.
The only other option was for him to package the samples to another university in Europe at a hugely astronomical cost. And he would be unable to observe the process.
That is the story all over the country.
Equipment breakdown everywhere, yet no money to get new ones with.
Even when times were economically buoyant in Nigeria in the 80s, there were resilient Nigerian engineers who believed in the maintenance of equipment rather than the purchase of new ones, but they had no encouragement. Quite a few encouraged themselves.
Recall the inspiring story of Engr. (Dr.) Lawrence Obuareghe. He was the Deputy General Manager for Steel Production at Delta Steel Company, Ovwian Aladja near Warri.
When the Continuous Casting Machine in the Steel Melt Shop was completely burnt down, the German Expatriate Technical Advisers wrote the machine off as scrap and therefore stayed away from it’s rehabilitation. All that they wanted was for a completely new one to be brought in from Germany at a cost of several hundred millions in dollars. Talk about diplomatically assisting a foreign economy.
Then Engr. Larry, as he was fondly called, was the AGM of the Shop. As a determined technocrat, he said ‘No’!
He quietly assembled a team of only Nigerian engineers, with very limited resources and had the machine roar back to life, from Scrap to Savior of the workshop, saving the company hundreds of millions in dollars.
To the consternation of the Germans, Engr. Larry became a hero and a legend.
Engr A. T. Abe, a former MD/CEO of Delta Steel Co. Ltd wrote about his former boss in 2016, over twenty years after: “it is on record that the highest daily production of Liquid Steel was achieved when Larry was the AGM of the shop ”.
He further said,” It is sad, very sad that Larry, a consummate and dedicated engineer is departing this world leaving DSC, a Steel Plant he worked so hard to put on the world map, in such a comatose condition”.
That Obuareghe spirit of resiliency is what Nigerian universities need today. Far too much equipment have broken down in almost all the universities. They don’t even have the resources to purchase new ones. What they do not factor vigorously in is that they have the human capital and capacity to fix those machines. And perhaps, create new ones, thus putting the universities on a new footing internationally.
Any equipment that needs to be flown abroad for repairs can equally be repaired in Nigeria to save foreign exchange and keep work going.
Here’s a brief history of who Engr. Dr. Lawrence Oghenekome Obuareghe was .
He was born on 20th January 1945 in Ase, Ndokwa East Local Government of Delta State. As a scholarship kid, he was amongst the 8 persons that the Midwest State government sent to the USA for further studies in 1972.
Starting from St Michael’s Catholic School, Ase, he proceeded to St. Patrick’s College, Asaba in 1960 and to Edo College, Benin City for his Higher School Certificate in 1966.
At the University of Lagos in 1968, he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. At this point, the Midwest State government offered him full scholarship to study for his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston, Texas, where he equally obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
He also received an MBA in Operations Research at the same institution.
Further education took him to the International Centre for Advanced Technical and Vocational Training, Turin, Italy (1981), as well as Hamburg Steel, Hamburg Germany (1981-1982).
Working Career:
He worked with Brown and Roots Marine Operators Inc, Houston TX, (1976) and the Platzer Shipyards Inc. Houston TX.
He also worked with the Federal Ministry of Works and Transport, Benin City as a Mechanical engineer and furthermore with Bendel Breweries, Benin City as a Production Engineer (1979-1980).
He joined Delta Steel Company as an assistant Chief Engineer where he rose to the position of General Manager, Steel Making. He was in charge of all engineering services at the company and was nicknamed “The Engineer Per Excellence”.
After retirement, he managed a firm of Consulting Engineers – Rotann Engineering Services (Nigeria) Ltd.
He is survived by his wife and seven children.
He was buried in Ase on the 27th of May, 2016.
Further reading:
Check all Nigerian universities out. They have thousands of staff both in the academia and amongst the non academic staff with such intimidating credentials, yet things break down that reverse engineering can reveal the pathways to rehabilitation. But they are left to rot. It is time to wake up and make the nation work through the resilience of its people.
Greg Abolo
gregabolo@gmail.com
