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Joseph Onuora Eseka (1932-2016) A professional per excellence

By Editor
06 August 2016   |   12:58 am
Engr. Joseph Onuora Eseka, who has died was born to the late Mr. John and Mrs. Alice Eseka on June 10, 1932 at Igbosere Road, Lafiaji, Lagos Island, Lagos.In his tribute which was made available to The Guardian Chike Nwanze, Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer...

Eseka

Engr. Joseph Onuora Eseka, who has died was born to the late Mr. John and Mrs. Alice Eseka on June 10, 1932 at Igbosere Road, Lafiaji, Lagos Island, Lagos.In his tribute which was made available to The Guardian Chike Nwanze, Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said: “Eseka had his primary education at St. Mathias Catholic School Lafiaji, Lagos, from where he proceeded to St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos in 1944 for his secondary education.

“He sat for the Cambridge School Certificate Examination in 1949 and passed with distinctions in virtually all the subjects. He was particularly noted for his excellence in Mathematics.“In December 1949, shortly after he concluded his examination, he was appointed into the Revenue Accounts Department of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He was later transferred to the Electrical/Mechanical Engineering Department of the Nigerian Railways as a Higher Course Apprentice in 1951-1952. Former vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, was one of his colleagues and good friends then.

“During his stay at the Railways, precisely in 1953, he also sat for the Inter B.Sc Examination of the University of London and obtained distinctions in all the four subjects which included Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Physics and Chemistry. That same year, he further obtained a Federal Government Scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at the University College Ibadan, where he spent only a year before proceeding to Kings College, Newcastle Upon-Tyne, England (in the University of Durham) now known as the University Newcastle Upon-Tyne, where he obtained the B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1959.”

He continued: “On his return to Nigeria, he was posted to the Public Works Department which later became the Federal Ministry of Works, where he rose from the post of a Pupil Engineer to the post of Coordinating Director, Engineering Services Department of the Ministry.

“Because of his outstanding professionalism, the then Head of State promoted him to salary grade 17 which was a Permanent Secretary grade level in April 1979. He was on that level until October 1984, when he retired from active service at the age of 52 years, having served the country meritoriously for the mandatory period of 35 years (1949-1984)

“During his stay in the Federal Civil Service, he served on many inter-ministerial committees of the Federal Government and as Director of the Board of several parastatals. He was a member of the Organizing Committee of the 2nd All African Games in 1973, where he served as the Chairman of the Venues Sub-Committee of the games.

“He actively participated in many Federal Government projects like the construction of the National Stadium (Surulere, Lagos), The International Trade Fair Complex (Lagos), The National Arts Theatre (Iganmu, Lagos) and multiple road construction projects that cut across the entire country. Through out his public service career, he travelled extensively within and outside the country.
“In 1985, he took up an appointment as Managing Director of Nigerian Technical Company (NITECO) an Engineering Services and Sales Company. He turned around the fortune of the company within a year and in 1988.

Eseka was a founding member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and one of its earliest Fellows, (F.N.S.E.) Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.“He was also a COREN (Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria) Registered Engineer.“He was a man of many paths who had many feathers on his cap. He was actively involved in various activities and groups. He had served as Chairman, Parish Council, Choirmaster and Patron of the Choir at St. Michael’s Catholic Church Tamandu Barracks, Apapa, the Headquarters of the Churches of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“At St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, Yaba, he has been the Vice Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC), Chairman, Musical Commission and Patron of the Parish Youth Council. He was conferred with the title, Father of the Youths (PAPA YOUTHS as he is fondly called and thereafter crowned the Great Grand Patron of the Youths of St. Dominic’s and in other Parish throughout the country.

“Engineer, as he was fondly called was married to his beautiful wife, Elizabeth on December 26 1962. The marriage is blessed with six lovely children three girls and three boys namely; Ngozichukwu, Ifeanyichukwu, Nkechinyere, Chukwuka, Chiedu and Ik. All of whom are today graduates and professionals in their respective fields.

“He was also richly blessed with 15 grand children the last who coincidentally was born a lovely baby girl to his last born son Ik a few hours after he passed onto glory.“Eseka was quite an unassuming man, very friendly to all, but very strict and highly principled. He was a disciplinarian who never spared the rod, but was also kind, fair to all. He was never too busy to lend a helping hand when and wherever he was needed.

“He was a perfectionist to the core, one who always applied himself with total dedication in all his endeavours. He was an exemplary leader who inspired people to put in their best and tended to be impatient with people who were latently able, but who would not readily apply themselves to exploit their innate potentialities and move themselves upward.

“His memory recall was super, even in his eighties he could recall certain events in his lifetime quite accurately his mathematical ability and accuracy was still highly intact.“He was proudly and passionately Roman Catholic. He tried his best to live up to the teachings and tenets of the church, never missing early morning mass daily, come rain, come shine, singing in the choir. In fact, his last port of call just before he took ill was the church and even on his sick bed, he often requested to be taken to church and a times said full mass all by himself during his brief stay in the hospital.

“He never missed any opportunity to make use of the sacrament of penance and reconciliation and other sacraments; that of the anointing of the sick, the last of which he was very fortunate to have received before his demise.

“His was a life of total service and dedication to God and the Catholic Church. He was a distinguished benefactor of the Society for Vocation Support of the St. Jude Apostolate, a society responsible for the training and support of Priests and the Religious. The society on October 5, 2002 bestowed him with the honour of “PILLAR of VOCATION SUPPORT” Award. He also supported several other Catholic religious congregations and groups such as Our lady of Apostles (OLA) sisters, Missionary Society of Africa (SMA) to mention a few.

“On October 27, 2007, he was invested with the Papal Knighthood of St, Sylvester, Pope, (K.S.S) The highest laity award by his Holiness, pope John Paul II. Eseka, died on July 2016. He will be greatly missed by all.”

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