Mr. Chuka Offodile is the son of foremost Nigerian geologist and the founder MECON Geology & Engineering Services Ltd, Dr. Matthew E. Offodile. He grew under the tutelage of his father from a young age as a geologist. He spoke with The Rock Post at the sideline of his father’s 86th birthday anniversary and his 58 years of active professional practice which also featured a valedictory workshop and presentation of his autobiography, “This Is My Story” and two other flagship publications.
How does it feel to celebrate this icon as a father?
Well, number one, I feel humbled, I feel excited that people talk about him. He is icon on the discipline and generally in the business of geoscience. To be a son of this great man, which I sometimes do not announce because I have this difficult task of having to prove myself of his talent, his achievements and other things done over the years. In other words, I see myself in a very big shoe, so most times I am tempted to accept the shoe that gives me more comfort rather than trying to fit into his big shoe. So I feel very excited.
Tell us how you grew under the moral and professional tutelage of your father
Basically I started my tutelage under my father after secondary school. I couldn’t get into the university immediately, so I had to engage in going to the field with him. I also recall that my primary assignment then was gathering rock samples. I pick up a rock sample, holding a masking tape and he asks me to label it. I will label it and put it into my rock sack (bag). I was more like a donkey on the site, picking and labeling those samples and all that. Most times I leant the language, I learnt the descriptions, I learnt the protocol of taking samples, describing and also of the juggernaut in the discipline, discussing and arguing out issues so as to come up with the right setting of what you may call a geological map or what you may call the result of the outing. So I started off that early and of course with the incessant strike in the university and all that, sometimes I even hoped that there should be a strike so that I go back to the field. For every opportunity I had in the field, while gathering knowledge I still made some little change. So it’s been near a lifetime that I have been under his tutelage. Most times what I have learnt which without sounding immodest I feel founding on is because I sat down, listened to him, deliver on his instructions, argue out issues that are geoscience-based and I picked all that. That’s what I had to run with.
Being your father and mentor, can you describe his legacy?
I will say that his legacy is that of discipline, a legacy of excellence, he would not take anything less, rather let it go if it wasn’t up to his best. He’s always on people’s faces, everywhere out there, in fact sometimes I would say he could have been misunderstood because he is quite insistent especially when it is about what he is doing or what he has done. So I feel that his legacy is that of discipline and excellence.
What word do you have for his roles in your life?
The appreciation I think is to God Almighty for life and opportunity because it’s not always that you have this opportunity to learn and also an opportunity to have a platform for you to put in your best. Beside being a parent, he provided that for me and the rest of we young geologists or we young geoscientists and also those who have worked for or with him, he provided for us a foundation with which to launch further than he had. The problem is that most times, our efforts tend to die with one generation but when there is a second generation, what happens is that, that foundation becomes a fulcrum to project a lot more to achieve. The bottom line is that I really really appreciate him for that foundation that he has laid for future replication of whatever in terms of knowledge, in terms of public platform that he had provided. So we should run with it and also try to make mark on our own.
