Management Case Analysis

Engr Olawale Lagunju, FNSE

Engr Wale Lagunju was born in Ibadan 49 years ago to the family of Chief Oladiti Lagunju and late Mrs Rachel Morohunmubo Lagunju of blessed memory. Wale Lagunju as fondly called by many, is the second child in a family of three children. After he demonstrated an enthusiastic search for greater knowledge, the intelligent Wale started school early at the age of three (3), always following his Elder brother to home lessons held at times in uncompleted buildings. He had so much zeal for learning more as he always wanted to do everything that his seniors were doing. This zeal was an advantage for him when he entered the Primary School, that despite his young age, he came first in his class throughout Pry1 through Pry 6. Wale Lagunju was an astonishing responsible leader that even the school authority couldn’t choose someone else, they had to make him a Senior Prefect.

He graduated from the famous Loyola College, Ibadan with the best result in the West African School Certificate Examination, making a Grade 1 Distinction Aggregate 9,which in modern age means having A’s in all his papers.

Wale Lagunju proceeded to the famous University of Ife to study his desired course, Civil Engineering. An astute and erudite scholar, he won both the University of Ife and Shell Petroleum Development Co. undergraduate Scholarships. Despite all the distractions of Great Ife in those days, the determined young Wale graduated with a First Class Honours at the age of 22.

He was posted to serve his fatherland in Niger state and he undertook his primary assignment at the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority. Despite a Corp member, his energetic work habit made him involved in the supervision of the Tunga Kawo Irrigation Project and the design of a small earth dam at Allawa village in Niger State. After his NYSC, many of his colleagues who were also first Class graduates of engineering went to accounting firms who were desperately recruiting fresh 1st Class graduates, but this focused and resolute young man continued in the practice of this noble engineering profession, and took up employment with Intecon Partnership, a firm of Consulting Engineers based in Ibadan.

The ‘can-do spirit’ of the Principals and Senior Engineers of the firm and their scientific approach to solving engineering problems from fundamental principles, was one of the things that endeared Wale to the professional practice as well as the firm. Wale learnt the ropes very quickly, applying his sound basic engineering knowledge on various projects. He moved from one project to the other, leaving his marks in structural design, supervision and construction of various projects. By 1990, Wale has garnered M.Sc Civil Engineering from University of Lagos (1987) and MBA (Operations Research) from the University of Ibadan (1990). When he sat for his NSE professional exams in 1990, he was the best candidate in the April Exams and was awarded the Herbert Macaulay’s Civil Engineer’s Award for the best candidate in the Corporate Membership Exams.

Thereafter, Wale was posted to Eket in Akwa Ibom State as the Resident Engineer on the QIT-Ibeno Road. He participated in the Engineering design of the road, which is 8km long and it passes through swamps with two (2) bridges. The road which was completed 10yrs ago has remained maintenance-free with no pot-hole despite the heavy traffic.

Engr Wale Lagunju is energetic and a thorough professional engineer who has carved a niche for himself in the profession especially in the Oil & Gas sector. His deep knowledge and understanding of the sector has resulted in several successfully executed projects. These include the Mobil Helicopter Base Project, the Bonny NGL Project, Bonny Airstrip Project, the Chevron Escravos Airstrip Upgrade Project, Bonny IPP Project, Amakpe Refinery Project, OKLNG Project, and Engineering Assessment of 35 bridges along the Western line of the Nigerian Railway amongst others.

He has led design teams on project review meetings to Clients’ offices in Europe, North America and Asia and has also attended professional development and management courses in the UK and USA. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School, Boston USA.

Engr Wale Lagunju is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a Chartered Engineer COREN registered. He is currently the Executive Director of INTECON PARTNERSHIP LTD and has been responsible for the training and mentoring of several young engineering graduates, many of whom over the years have left the organization and now occupy key technical positions in various engineering establishments within and outside the country. He is also serving as a member of the COREN Engineering Regulatory Monitoring Committee (ERM) in Ibadan zone.

Wale is a Field Representative in the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, happily married to his heartthrob, Dr (Mrs) Ikeoluwa Lagunju, a Senior Lecturer in the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and a Consultant Pediatric Neurologist at the UCH Ibadan; they are blessed with two daughters and a son.