By Femi Alufa
Engr.Lawrence Oluwawemimo Arokodare (15th March 1938 – 26th March 1993) was a Nigerian civil engineer. He was the founding Partner of the firm Etteh Aro and Partners, a foremost indigenous Civil Engineering Consultancy Firm in Nigeria.
He was a native of Ijero Ekiti in Ekiti State, South-West of Nigeria. He began his career in Ove Arup and Partners in 1964 and worked there till 1970 when he began private practice with his undergraduate classmate. His philosophy of developing indigenous capacity in the Civil Engineering profession has led the firm he co-founded to sponsor over 55 engineering personnel for postgraduate studies outside Nigeria.
He was involved in the design and supervision of several Civil Engineering projects during his lifetime.
BIRTH & EARLY LIFE
Lawrence Oluwawemimo Arokodare was born in Ijero Ekiti on 15 March 1938, to the family of *Chief John Afolabi Arokodare* *of Ijero Ekiti* and *Madam Esther Ibironke Aiyelabola of Iyin Ekiti* , Ekiti State, South-West, Nigeria. He had primary school education at Emmanuel Primary School, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State from 1945 to 1952.
He proceeded to the Government College Ibadan for secondary school education from 1952 to 1959, where he obtained both his School Certificate and Higher School Certificate.While at the Government College Ibadan, he joined the Nigerian Cadet Force and obtained Military Certificate A Part 1 in 1958.
He was admitted to the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1961 to study Mechanical Engineering but he transferred to Civil Engineering in the second year after his vacation job with Shell Petroleum Development Company in Port Harcourt.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria in 1964. His class was the last that sat for London University external B.Sc. in engineering degree through the University of Ibadan in 1964.
He proceeded to the University of Leeds for a Master of Science degree in Transportation Engineering in 1969. He was married to Madam Oladunni Arokodare , had a daughter and three sons.
ENGINEERING CAREER
Arokodare’s professional career began after his graduation from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1964. He got employment at the Ibadan Office of Ove-Arup and Partners.
He was involved in the Road Development Study in the then Western Nigeria for the World Bank. The projects he worked on projects which included the 205m long Mainyu bridge in Cameroun, Ife-Ondo-Ore, Ijebu-Ode-Idi Ayunre road and bridges, 75m long two lane steel arch bridge over River Wolale in Sokoto State, 75kM road between Ibadan and Ife, the Western Nigerian Marketing Board Office Building in Ikeja, the Doctors Hostel University Teaching Hospital Ibadan, the Institute of Education Building, University of Ibadan and Phase 1 of the Sport Stadium, University of Ife. In 1970, he became a Principal Partner in the firm, Etteh Aro and Co.
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