Anthony Adefuye; Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, engineer, and founder of a top flight indigenous contracting company which carved a niche for itself in the country’s construction industry. Adefuye who began his political career at the University of Lagos when he won election as the Treasurer of the Students’ Union in 1969, was elected Senator in 1992 to represent the Lagos East Senatorial District. Adefuye joined John Holt as Workshop Manager immediately after graduation in 1972, but moved over to Blackwood Hodge Ltd in 1975 as Sales Manager, Special Products. Being the Best Sales Manager in Asia and Africa, he got promoted to Senior Manager not long after. Adefuye resign his appointment with the company in 1980 to establish his own construction company which from inception handled major public and private projects.
Adefuye was born in Lagos, and his parents who both successful in business, lived in Lagos. He went to the Yaba Technical Secondary School. Adefuye had indicated interest in becoming a mechanical engineer since when he was only eight years old. His father sent him therefore to the UTC which he believed to be the place for his boy’s choice of career. Young Adefuye was noticed by the workshop manager, who advised he had to go to school to qualify as an engineer. Adefuye obtained an Ordinary National Diploma from Ibadan Polytechnic before passing the GCE ‘A’ Levels through which he entered for a degree in Mechanical Engineering in the University of Lagos, graduating in 1972.
Construction Works
Adefuye joined the Blackwood Hodge as Sales Manager, Special Products in 1975 where he sold engineering equipment. This was preceded by an appointment with John Holt Plc as Workshop Manager. He was the Best Sales Manager for Asia and Africa, and soon became a Senior Manager. While at it, he submited himself to training in civil engineering and developed interest in contract management. In 1980, Adefuye Anthony pulled out of Blackwood Hodge to set up ARESCO Ltd, using the commission he had accumulated over the years to buy some equipment, specialising in the area of building roads, bridges, buildings and infrastructure in the swamps.
Adefuye’s company constructed the road and bridges for the 14km Lamgbasa Addo-Badore road in Lekki Peninsula, a swampy area; the access road and 1000-car park for Maiyegun beach, and worked on the Aja-Ajiwe-Ogombo-Okun road, also in Lekki, for the Lagos State government. For the federal government, it was commissioned to fix ecological problems like the Ilagbe gully erosion and flood control structures at Pejuola in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, and the construction of Ogboru gully and erosion control at Ilaro in Ogun State. ARESCO constructed the roads and infrastructure for Gbagada industrial layout, as well as those of Ketu layout. Besides, it built most of the fire stations in Lagos State and undertook the construction of many roads and infrastructure for the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Abuja. It equally constructed many schools for the Federal Ministry of Education and has drilled boreholes and provided water treatment plants for the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
