19/06/2025
* Great Leaders Dr C.C.Agbim(Enyi Onwa Nimo)hails from a Christian family, as the third child of Mr. Felix Onugboko Agbim and Madam Grace Amodo Agbim, born on the 6th day of October 1934. The remarkable features of this child were his slim build, long limbs and big head. As he grew up his mates used to taunt him about the size of his head with the usual refrain “Isi Charley, Isi Charley Isi kwankom” – a line that had produced a few fights.
Chuba passed the highly competitive entrance examination to DMGS Onitsha, where he had his secondary education from 1947 to 1951. This was an institution of discipline. Chuba passed out in grade one with five alphas and four credits. The big head he was born with was beginning to manifest. Completion of his secondary school marked a major transition in his life. His father, who by now had eight children, seven boys and one girl, congratulated him but unfortunately told him he could not sponsor Chuba’s education any further. He suggested he took up a job and looked after himself. In other words, Chuba at 17 was on his own.
The young man took up the challenge. Because he scored alphas at the school certificate in all the science subjects, Chuba had decided he was going to be an engineer, and henceforth devoted all his energy towards that cause. He took up his first job, soon after leaving school, as a school teacher at Onitsha, earning six pounds a month which was enough to meet his immediate needs. He kept this job for a year. When he learnt the King’s College Lagos was running an extra-mural course, preparing students for further education, he relocated to Lagos and luckily secured a job at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He sat for the entrance examination to University College Ibadan and passed. With nobody to sponsor him, he now applied for a federal government scholarship to study engineering.
As a civil servant, all such application must be routed through the head of department in your ministry. Chuba’s application was passed through finally to Mr. Ishola Williams, it is noted, was the only African in the “senior service” and he had an Austin car, all other senior servants were white. He was feared, and you crossed his path at your detriment. When Chuba’s application got to him, he summoned Chuba to his office informing him of his slim chances, seeing as he had only worked 9 months in the Ministry compared to his others who had worked for 9 years and more and were still not successful. Despite the threat, he still decided to carry on with this application.
However, to his surprise, he was formally invited for an interview at the federal secretariat of which Mr. Tafawa Belewa, was on the panel. Chuba regarded the interview as a mere formality, knowing fully well that Mr. Ishola Williams had sealed his fate. His greatest surprise as the months rolled by was that he was not fired, and a friend one morning at the work place brought a newspaper publication listing Chuba’s name as have been awarded a federal government scholarship to study engineering starting with the University College Ibadan. In spite of all the odds, this was a dream come true. To say that Chuba was exhilarated and happy, would be an under-statement
A few months later, Chuba joined the first batch of students to move into the new permanent site of the University of Ibadan. After two years at this great institution, it was time to move on to the next educational phase. At the time, there was no institution in Nigeria that offered a degree course in engineering, and all federal government students therefor secured places in various universities in the United Kingdom. Chuba was posted to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
Contending with the winter cold was the most memorable encounter Chuba had to face during his first year in Aberdeen, in addition to adjusting to his new environment. He took the academics in his stride, graduating with a First Class Honours in civil engineering in 1958. His performance throughout his degree course was so consistent, leading his class most of the time, that he was recommended to pursue a post-graduate course in civil engineering at Imperial College London. The Federal Government of Nigeria accepted this recommendation, and Chuba relocated to London in September 1958.
The post-graduate course at Imperial College consisted of one year of intensive lectures and studies (leading to diploma of Imperial College DIC) followed by a Research Programme. Chuba took a break after the DIC to spend a year working in industry, and the experience gained was very useful. He returned to imperial college thereafter and with the approval of his professors, he proceeded with his Research Programme. Chuba was able to submit his Doctorate Thesis in record time to the satisfaction of the internal and external examiners. Awarded a Ph.D., Chuba returned to industry in UK to broaden his experience, working in a number of design and construction projects.
Chuba left United Kingdom in 1963 (with his wife and two children: Nnamdi and Akodilim) to take up an appointment at the Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos. This appointment which lasted for one year, gave Chuba the opportunity to familiarize himself with working conditions back home. He resigned to take up another appointment at a new institution that was then being created at the University of Lagos.
Chuba spent the early part of his tenure supervising the construction of the university infrastructure, in addition to preparing new design. Shortly after, he set up his dream firm called Agbim & Partners (Consulting Engineers). The primary purpose of his firm was to apply his wealth of engineering knowledge in the solution of engineering problems.
Agbim and Partners registered and set up in 1965 was the second indigenous Engineering consulting firm in Nigeria.. Initially it involved a lot of pioneering work, as most people did not understand what the functions or duties of the consulting engineer were. What they did not see was the intensity of the analysis and computations, often times backed by field data, that goes into the design of a project, the discarding of one solution in preference for a better one, the simultaneous interplay of stability, economics, durability and aesthetics in the production of the final design solution, and the weight of responsibility carried by the design engineer for the safety of the project when constructed. These, combined with an impeccable drive for excellence, may sound formidable, but there-in lies the joy of the profession. Chuba would not have spent forty years in it, if he did not derive tremendous satisfaction from it. A number of young engineers have passed through the gates of Agbim & Partners and many have successfully set up their own practices.
In the community, Dr Chuba Agbim took the Ozo title of Onwanaetilora of Nimo (1981) and been a member of the Owelle cabinet since 1996. He is very much involved matters relating to Nimo. For example, he pioneered the construction of tarred road in Nimo amongst many other initiatives. Also, he was pivotal in ensuring the rotation of the Igwe of Nimo (Owelle) among the four quarters of Nimo. In furtherance, he produced the Nimo Master Plan and set up a scholarship schemes for deserving Nimo, Chief Dr C.C.Agbim, (Enyi Onwanaetilora Na Nimo) is one of the great leaders from Nimo Safe Blessed tuned till next Friday 's With Ekene-O-Maritme*Addendum #*Facts* *about* *Ojukwu* *Bunker* 👇
1. The plan was drawn up by Frank Mbanefo Associates from Onitsha.
2. The structural design was done by Dr Chuba Agbim and Partners from Nimo.
3. The bunker workers were supervised/handled by Laurence O Okanny from Ogidi.
4. The construction was done by Engineer Joel Onyemelukwe from Nnewi-Ichi.
5. Facilities included in the structure is a Prison Cell for defaulting soldiers and Air pipe lines Where air flow into the underground bunker with two escape routes.
6. The bunker was done within 90 days.
Nimo Name was involved in this historical landmark
