Dr. (Mrs.) Abimbola Oluwakemi Windapo is currently the Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Services, University of Lagos. A Bachelor’s degree holder in Building from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, she also has M.Sc. in Construction Management and Ph.D Building from the University of Lagos, Akoka. The mother of three, before her current appointment has served in the following capacities: Treasurer Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), Secretary, Ad-Hoc Committee on Health and Safety, (NIOB), Registrar (NIOB), as well as External Examiner, Department of Building, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Imo State University, just to mention a few. Windapo speaks to Blessing Umebali about her 12- year working experience, first in construction management and then as a lecturer.
Working experience
After my graduation from Obafemi Awolowo University, I was fortunate to have been employed by Bouygues Nigeria Limited (BNL), a French multi-national building and civil engineering construction company. I was motivated by the company’s incentives and this encouraged me to give my best to the company.
I gained a lot of relevant experience while on the job. I also had the opportunity of self-improvement through their various staff training and development programmes.
My duty then was to plan the company’s contracts whenever contracts were awarded to us. As the company’s planning manager, I was part of the management team that sets goals and programmes for the company. I did this for eight years before I left to pay more attention to the home front. I felt I wasn’t giving enough time to my children due to the work schedule and demand. I decided to go into teaching that will give me more time for them.
One thing I am grateful for is that their staff- training programme afforded me the opportunity to obtain a Master’s degree. When I left the company in 1994, I was employed as a lecturer by the Lagos State Polytechnic, Isolo where I taught various building construction courses. I was also involved in project supervision and research work. During the period, I had the opportunity of being made the head of Department of Building from 1995 to 1996.
Later in July 1998, I transferred my services to the University of Lagos, Akoka, where I presently work as a senior lecturer in the Department of Building, Faculty of Environmental Sciences.
Worrisome trend of building collapse
Well, I believe the major cause of collapsed buildings is quackery in the industry. We have a lot of quacks in the industry. We should not only focus on the monumental loss-both human and material as a result of collapsed building. We need to focus more on the practice. We should be able to sift the wheat from the shaft and this is where the regulatory bodies or authorities should come in. If you are not a professional you have no business being involved in building. As a professional builder, you need to always ensure that a professional job is done. You don’t compromise or cut corners because your name and reputation would be at stake. When you have people who do not have any name at stake, embarking on such a project, what do you have? Of course, collapsed buildings. They cut corners for cheap profit which can turn out to be costly. Yes, I know that some so called professionals do that, but they are in the minority- may be about 5 per cent. All what they want is to make money at the expense of human lives by cutting costs through using inferior materials. It is quite unfortunate and worrisome.
Way forward
The government has a big part to play in ensuring an end to the trend of collapsed buildings. I am happy that the Lagos state government is now going around ensuring quality control. Houses being built must be up to standard or it is brought down I love the step the governor is taking and I must congratulate him for that. What the government is doing is to give people who live in that faulty house some time to quit. For me, construction companies and the builders should be certified. Government should have a registration board for this people because we do not have it in this country. Abroad they have such a board.
Before contract can be awarded to anybody that company must have been certified by the government and even at that, certification has its own stages. Like they might certify you with 5million naira work looking at your personnel, equipment and your experience on the job so, the government can also inculcate that in our country for the industry to move forward.
The local governments also have a role to play as well in order to achieve this in totality. It is a very big indictment on any local government that in recent times has had a collapsed building in its domain, because it is the chairman’s duty to ensure that such quacks are sanctioned for using low quality building materials. Well, the Lagos State government has started embarking on a planning and building regulation, and this will create opportunity for the certification that I have mentioned earlier. I think the local government should be able to enact laws for their own constituency. They should not wait for the State government to do every thing for them. It is the duty of the local government to ensure safety in their areas, with this they will be able to fish out quack developers in the state. Lots of houses in Lagos State today are built on substandard materials, and it is bringing down the value of the environment as well. And this brings down the value of our revenue because it is the beautiful houses that beautify and add value to theenvironment we live in, and come to think of it, it is from the value that we generate the revenue. So, if the value is not good what kind of revenue are we talking about? So, I believe in what goes around comes around.
Teaching as a career
I believe it is a privilege to find myself in teaching profession. For me it is like a ministration work. I love teaching, imparting and mentoring young and upcoming people. And that means I am part of their history, in helping them to achieve it. Teaching for me is a God given privileges. It is what you tell the student that will inform them when they go out to practice. It is like when you are in the pulpit preaching to the congregation. You know, you are passing information and educating people as well. I have been teaching for the past 12 years, so you can imagine how many students that have passed through me. So, I really enjoy teaching. Teaching for me is a sacrifice. I will use this medium to encourage teachers or lectures to be ready to sacrifice their time and talent to help build the nation. Teachers are part of the nation building. We should not forget that saying that ‘teachers rewards is in heaven.’
Challenges and successes
I am proud to say that many of my students who have passed through me are doing very well . You know, it is the prayer of the parents that their children should do better than them. Many of them are doing very well in their profession and this gives me joy and fulfillment. For me, that is one of the major successes since my 12 years in teaching. I feel happy when they make reference to me as one of their mentors and lecturers. Some of them are managers in different spheres of lives, some are developers already, while some are already building estates for themselves and this gives me inner-joy and fulfillment. This means I have been able to touch people’s lives with my teaching profession. But the challenges are numerous to mention here. Some, students do not want to read but want to cut corners to pass by all means and when they do not pass they will threaten to deal with their lecturers. I have seen lecturers’ offices being broken by students who want to steal the question papers. So, these are some constraints we have in the profession. It is called the hazards of the profession. And this is not good at all for the education system in Nigeria. This I believe is due to the manipulation of the jamb result. Three years ago, University of Lagos just started the on screening exercise, even with the screening, lots of people still come in to manipulate the system. And i must say that this is very sad for a country like ours. We have people with no intellectual abilities. All they want is just the certificates and they try all means to pass. Aside that we also have challenges of electricity, poor internet services. The number of students that the school offers admission is very appalling; it is one of the major challenges we lecturers face in the school. This is because the environment is not conducive, where you will have more that 500 students in a small class, you are faced with the challenges of imparting knowledge to all of them. A lot of emphases is placed on the tertiary institutions and so everybody wants to get into the university by all means. I still believe we can de-emphasise on this aspect.
They should also encourage people to seek admission in the polytechnics and colleges of education.
In the UK, if you come out with a school certificate you will be trained on the job. All the company does is to organise seminars and workshops that will enhance your professional career. When you pass the examination, you are promoted to the level of top management. But in Nigeria the reverse is the case.
Before the new banking system came in Nigeria, people used to employ school cert holders and train them on the job to become accountants.
It is now a different ball game; employers no longer want to train employees up the ladder. In a field like architecture, you can employ school cert holders and train them on the job.
I believe this has to do with the level of our development in the country. The country as at today is yet to develop. And that’s why some people will find it very hard to understand and appreciate what I am saying. Even at that, do you know how many university graduates out they are looking for work? I mean they still find it very tough to get employed.
About lecturers and students’ relationship
Some lecturers do not have a cordial relationship with their students. And for me it is worrisome I must say. This is because it has a negative impact on their ability to learn. The students are just like clay given to us lecturers to mould and once we do not mould with care and love it will definitely affect them. That’s means such lecturers is not approachable and students will be afraid to attend his or her class and learning now becomes a problem for such student. And there you are sending a wrong message across, through him or her after graduation. Your student should be the reflection of who you are.
They will be deformed if you misinform them with bad attitude and that’s the type of attitude that they will carry throughout their lives. And it will be very difficult for them to change from that mind-set. Even when they grow up to become lecturers or work in other fields, they will still pass that same attitude to the next generation and this might be one of the things that is even affecting the society today. You know, when a lecturer tells his or her students that ‘you are a dunce, you can never pass my subject,’ you have crippled them even if they do not know anything. You do not have to say it that way. We have some lecturers who say ‘I am going to give you all F9.’ These students will be afraid and when they go out it is that same mind-set that they will have and sincerely this is not healthy for the society. I believe the relationship between lecturers and students should be very cordial. Lecturers are mentors and so they should listen to their students’ problems and help them when necessary.
Giving back to the society
I have a vision to build a vocational centre for students and upcoming professionals in the building and construction industry. This I strongly believe will come to pass because right now there are no good artisans, carpenters, builders, bricklayers in the society. And some of them come from as far as Togo and Ghana.
Driving force
God is my driving force. And when you are happy doing what you are doing through the grace of God, you want to impart knowledge in the field you are. You also want to contribute your own quota to the society with whatever you are doing. You want to do something for posterity, so that drive for that self actualisation to really discover yourself, to find out what you are really good at, like now, my next level is to become a professor. I am already working hard towards actualising that dream. So, for me the prospect of getting to that ladder of my career drives me. Becoming a role model for my children, the students especially the female student drives me the more.
Describing herself
I am an open person. I am not good at hiding my feelings. I make things very clear to people around me. I hate dull moments because I am a jovial and happy person to be with all the time.
Dress sense
Comfort is the most important aspect of my dress sense. Simplicity and comfort are what best describe my dress sense. Having said that I believe in our traditional wears, that’s why I wear iro and buba and long skirt and blouse to parties and church. I wear trousers to the site and I love green and purple colours a lot because they tend to suit me.
Relaxation
I play a lot of solitaire in the computer. I also love reading ‘Readers Digest’, newspapers, and watching movies with my children. Once in a while I travel out to relax my brain and get refreshed as well.
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