Ayodele Awojobi

Ayodele Oluwatumininu Awojobi (12 March 1937 – 23 September 1984), also known by the nicknames "Dead Easy", "The Akoka Giant", and "Macbeth", was a Nigerian academic, author, inventor, social crusader and activist. He was considered a scholarly genius by his teachers and peers alike.

His research papers, particularly in the field of vibration, are still cited by international research fellows in Engineering as lately as the year 2020, and are archived by such publishers as the Royal Society.

Early life Born in Oshodi, Lagos State, Awojobi's father, Chief Daniel Adekoya Awojobi, was a stationmaster at the Nigerian Railway Corporation who hailed from Ikorodu in Lagos State. His mother, Comfort Bamidele Awojobi (née Adetunji), was a petty trader who hailed from Modakeke, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Between 1942 and 1947, he attended St. Peter's Primary School, Faji, Lagos.

The federal government awarded Awojobi another scholarship in 1962 to study further at the post-graduate level in the field of Mechanical Engineering at the Imperial College of the University of London (now Imperial College London). He completed the course, successfully defending his thesis, and was awarded a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1966.

Landmark degree award After a period teaching at the University of Lagos, he returned to the Imperial College London for a research study in the field of Vibration, and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, DSc. He was the first African to be awarded the Doctor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, at the Imperial College London.

Educator On his return from England in 1966 Awojobi enrolled as a lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka. His teaching methods endeared him to his engineering students, whose public chants: "Dead easy... Dead easy...", would often be heard shouted in his direction as he went along the campus grounds. He quickly rose in the ranks among his colleagues and would later become the head of department, Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos.

Awojobi went back to London to study for his doctorate. He returned in 1974 and was made an associate professor in mechanical engineering at the University of Lagos. However, one week after having been appointed associate professor, the University of Lagos Senate, after receiving news that Awojobi had just been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (DSc), immediately appointed him professor in mechanical engineering, making him the youngest professor in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos and the first ever to be expressly promoted from associate to full professorship within a week. The quiz-show, Mastermind, consisted of weekly contestants taking turns in isolation on "the hot-seat", whereupon various categories of questions would be thrown at them. Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, Nigeria, was a returning winner and champion on Mastermind for several episodes over; he being in his undergraduate years at the time.

Inventor Autonov 1 on display at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos. While as a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Awojobi successfully converted his own family car, an Opel Olympia Rekord, from a right-hand drive to a left-hand drive.

He tinkered further with motor engines when he acquired an army-type jeep and proceeded to invent a second steering-wheel mechanism adjoined to the pre-existing engine at the rear end so that the vehicle could move forward and backwards with all four pre-existing gears. This gave the hybrid vehicle, which he christened Autonov 1, the ability to achieve its highest speeds at a moment's notice, in the normal reverse direction. He highlighted the advantage this might offer to army vehicles, as an example, that might need to make a fast retreat, in a cul-de-sac or ambush situation.

Activist Ayodele Awojobi, in the wake of the presidential election results that returned the incumbent, Shehu Shagari as president in the Second Nigerian Republic, became very vocal in the national newspapers and magazines, going as far as suing the Federal Government of Nigeria for what he strongly believed was a widespread election rigging. With all his court cases against the Nigerian government thrown out of court, he delved into the law books, himself being only a mechanical engineer, claiming that he would earn his law degrees in record time, to enable him better argue with the opposition at the federal courts. He used the universities as a bastion, going from campus to campus to make speeches at student-rallies, hoping to sensitise them to what he perceived as the ills of a corrupt government. Ayodele Awojobi authored several political books over the course of his ideological struggles against a perceived, corrupt federal government. These books were usually made available during his public rallies or symposiums.

Tribute Usually every year till date, a tribute or two in Ayodele's honour would be published in the form of an article in a national newspaper, such as the one published by The Nation on 5 November 2009, entitled "Tribute to Ayodele Awojobi".

List of publications

Research Vibration of rigid bodies on semi-infinite elastic media – A. O. Awojobi, P. Grootenhuis, 1965 Plane strain and axially symmetric problems of a linearly non-homogeneous elastic half-space – A. O. Awojobi, R. E. Gibson, 1973 Vibration of rigid bodies on non-homogeneous semi-infinite elastic media – A. O. Awojobi, 1973 Torsional vibration of a rigid circular body on an infinite elastic stratum – A. O. Awojobi, 1969 Torsional vibration of a rigid circular body on a non-homogeneous elastic stratum – A. O. Awojobi, 1973 Vertical vibration of rigid bodies with rectangular bases on elastic media – A. O. Awojobi, P. H. Tabiowo Factors in the design of ultrasonic probes – W. M. R. Smith, A. O. Awojobi, 1979 Determination of the dynamic shear modulus and the depth of the dominant layer of a vibrating elastic medium – A. O. Awojobi, 1970 Ground vibrations due to seismic detonation in oil exploration – A. O. Awojobi, O. A. Sobayo, 1974 Vertical vibrations of a rigid circular body on a non-homogeneous half-space interrupted by a frictionless plane – A. O. Awojobi

Educational Technical Drawing for Secondary Schools. A. O. Awojobi 325 Worked Examples in Intermediate Mechanics. A. O. Awojobi Notes and Worked Examples in Physics. A. O. Awojobi Engineering Drawing. A. O. Awojobi

Political