BIOGRAPHY OF LATE ENGR. JOSEPH MAKOJU: A WORTHY SON OF EBIRA LAND
Note: Part of this profile was gotten from the internet. However, additional words and editing was done by Balogun Omeiza David (BOD).
The man Engr. Joseph Oyeyani Makoju was born on the 13th of July, 1948. The “Oyeyani” that is part of his name was a title conferred on him by His Royal Majesty the late Alh. Sanni Omolori, the then Ohinoyi of Ebiraland. Engr. Joseph Makoju served as Special Adviser on Electric Power during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria under two separate administrations. He now went to serve as Honorary Adviser on Electric Power to the President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria which took effect from 20th May, 2008. He also worked in the capacity of the Special Adviser to the President and Chief Executive, Dangote Group, from 2009 to 2018. He was also the Chairman, Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN), as well as West African Power Pool Executive Board.
Prior to that, Engr. Joseph Makoju was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the erstwhile National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The two were Nigeria’s national electricity utility. He was selected and invited for this job by the government on the basis of his track record in the private sector. For almost a decade, he was the Managing Director cum Chief Executive Officer of the West African Portland Cement Company (WAPCO), at that time Nigeria’s largest cement manufacturing company. After his tenure as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of NEPA, Makoju was appointed consecutively as Special Adviser to three different Presidents of Nigeria.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Engr. Joseph Makoju was born on 13th July, 1948 in Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. Makoju was a Hartford Award Winner of Government College, Kaduna and also a J. F. Kennedy Essays Award Winner of Federal Government College (FGC), Warri, Nigeria. He graduated from University of Nottingham, UK in 1972 with First Class Honours earning B Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and M. Phil. Mechanical Engineering in 1974 from the same University. He attended National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos (mni) from 1989 to 1990. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Science in Engineering Degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
CAREER AT POWER HOLDING COMPANY OF NIGERIA (PHCN)
Engr. Joseph Oyeyani Makoju became the Managing Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the year 2000. He was faced with the challenges of providing uninterrupted power supply to the teeming masses and to position the firm for privatisation in the long term. At the beginning of his tenure, he was Deputy Head of a Technical Board that raised the power generating capacity of PHCN in the short term through the rehabilitation of power plants, installation of new units, reinforcement of the transmission system, construction of new transmission lines and sub-stations and expansion of the distribution network across the country.
However, as much as Engr. Joseph Makoju tried to salvage the power sector in Nigeria, issues bordering on low gas supply to power plants, drop in water levels at Hydro Stations, vandalism and theft contributed to reducing the maximum efficiency and power generation, failing to deliver on the government’s electoral statements of uninterrupted power supply. By 2006, the country was facing an epileptic power supply and a potential national blackout.
Career at West African Portland Cement Company (WAPCO)
The versatile and efficient Engr. Joseph Makoju returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom in 1976 and joined Ewekoro Works as the Process Manager. The Ewkoro Works, Lafarge Cement, WAPCO Nigeria Plc plant then was the oldest out of the firm’s two lines. He later served as Production Manager of Shagamu Works, Deputy Works General Manager and General Works Manager. After the completion of a training at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Plateau State, he was posted to the Corporate Head Office in Lagos as the Deputy Managing Director. Engr. Joseph Makoju became the Managing Director of the firm in 1991, succeeding Mr. Ogunleye.
Engr Joseph Makoju’s tenure as Managing Ditector saw WAPCO at many times operating close to full capacity in a sector that was dominated by scarcity of cement. The cement industry in Nigeria historically has had to deal with image problems associated with high price, scarcity, government deals and distortions in the marketing process while WAPCO specially had to answer questions about its cement allocation system. The firm in the 1995 financial calendar was able to declare a high profitable value of 5.1 billion naira after entering the capital market twice in 1990 and 1992 to raise funds for increased capital investment mostly for the purchase of a cement grinding mill and replacement of quarry equipment.
PROFESSIONAL BODIES
Engr. Joseph Makoju is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM) and the Nigerian Academy of Engineers (NAE). He is a Member of the British Institute of Mechanical Engineers (BIME) and of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), (mni). He was the Chairman of Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN) between 1992 to 2000. He was the Vice-President of Nigerian’s Employers Consultative Association (NECA) a position he held from 1998 to 2000. Between May 1994 and May 1999, he was the President of the Chemical and Non-Metallic Employers Federation (CANMPEF), the largest employers Federation in the manufacturing sector.
He is a member of British Institute of Mechanical Engineers (MIMechE). Makoju is a National Council member of the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN). He is also a member of the National Economic Revival Council (NERC), a think-tank for advising government on economic policy and Member of the African Regional Board of the London School of Economics.
NATIONAL AWARDS
In parallel to his effort and contribution to the advancement of the country, Engr. Joseph Makoju was in October 2000 honoured with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) Award. In the year 2011, he was yet again awarded with Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR). Both of these awards were Nigerian national awards. He was also honoured with the National Grand Commander of the Special Order of Merit from the Republic of Niger. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Science Degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.
The death of Engr. Joseph Oyeyani Makoju is a big loss to Nigerians at large but the Ebiras felt the get more as the erudite engineer has left a gap too wide for any to fill up easily. He was one man that never turned his back on where he was coming from. He made sure that the Ebira nation was close to his chest. Engr. Joseph Makoju was a peaceful man who preached peace at all times. It is on record that he never for once participated in any act violence or crises that once took place in Ebira land. He was simply known to have helped many sons and daughters of Ebira extraction by gaining employment in the many places he worked. He also did same to other Nigerians he did not know from Adam. The name of Engr. Joseph Makoju will surely continue to ring a bell in the heart of the Ebiras till the end of age. No wonder, the Ebira nation through her king known as the Ohinoyi bestowed on him a traditional titled named THE OYEYANI OF EBIRALAND. Oyeyani means the ones that knows how to do it better. The Ebira nation is truly bereaved and crying profusely not knowing when and how she will be able to find another Engr. Joseph Makoju as replacement.
It is our heartfelt prayer that God almighty will console his wife, children and other family members Engr. Joseph Makoju has left behind. Adieu Thou Great And Productive Son of Ebira land, Kogi State and Nigeria.