Pa Silvanus Olatunde Williams

Saturday afternoon this week, I joined others in the memorial service for Pa Williams. He touched the lives of many Nigerians and non Nigerians in Manitoba.

The service at the Immanuel Fellowship Church (photo above) was a celebration of his life - a life of service - both in Nigeria and here in Manitoba.

A distinguished Civil Engineer and retired eminent Administrator, Mr Silvanus Olatunde Williams was born on September 16, 1922 at Imo in Abeokuta, Nigeria. He started formal education at St. John's School, Aroloya, Lagos and Eroko Methodist School, Lagos where he had his primary education between 1927 and 1935. For his secondary education, he attended the famous Methodist Boys High School, Lagos between 1936 and 1940.On successful completion of his secondary education, Mr. Silvanus Olatunde Williams gained admission to Higher College, Yaba in 1941 and graduated there in 1944.

In 1947, three years later, he travelled abroad to study at Royal Technical College, Glasgow and finished up there in 1951. Three years later in 1954, Mr. Williams left for the United States of America to study at Purdue University where he completed hi masters degree program in Civil Engineering in 1955. It is noteworthy that he attained his first degree (B. Sc.) with first class Honours at Royal Technical College, Glasgow, Scotland.

Mr. Williams has held a variety of challenging professional and administrative positions in the course of his career in the Nigerian Federal Civil Service. He was a Civil Engineer in the Public Works Department and later he was employed with the Ministry of Works in various positions - the climax of which was his appointment as the first Nigerian Director of Federal Public Works between 1963 and 1966. From 1966 to 1970, he was in the enviable position of Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, and between 1971 and 1975 he was the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications.

Mr. S. O. Williams was at the national level, the Federal Commissioner for Communications from 1975 to 1978 and between 1978 and 1979, he served as Federal Commissioner for Labour, Youth and Sports. In other spheres he has served in many challenging positions of authority. He was the first Nigerian chairman of the Amateur Athletics Association of Nigeria (AAAN) from 1952 to 1955; 1959 to 1962 and 1966 to 1974.

He was also a member of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) between 1954 and 1974.While in school, he won a number of proficiency prizes such as first place form prize (1936-1940); Math and Science prizes between 1939 and 1940 and at the post-secondary level he won the McHugh prize for proficiency in 1943; the James Muir prize for Natural Philosophy in 1950. However, in 1962 on account of his outstanding contribution to sports and national development, he was given a National Award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N) and in 1987, he was conferred with the National Sports Award 1987. Mr. Williams distinguished himself in sporting events both locally and internationally. He was the Long Jump champion at MBHS, Lagos (1939); Long Jump champion at Glasgow University (1948 to 1951) and he held the Nigerian National record in the same event in 1950. He was champion of the Glasgow Blues (1950) and he distinguished himself in the same event at the Commonwealth Games in 1954. He was a member of the Polytechnic Haniers, London from 1948 to 1952.On the professional plane, he served as secretary and later Chairman of the Nigerian society of Engineers.

On the religious plane, he was chairman of the Building Committee for Itesi Methodist Church starting in 1982.