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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
As part of activities to commemorate this year’s International Day of Monuments and Sites, the Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Nigeria (FOPCHEN), yesterday, announced it has secured international funding to restore and return to use the iconic Premier Building at Hope Waddell Training Institution, Calabar.
The prefabricated one-storey building was built in 1894 by the missionaries as part of their plans to expand the frontiers of education in the country.
It is one of the earliest known examples of educational buildings erected by missionaries in Nigeria.
FOPCHEN said it is excited to work on this project because of its significant historical, architectural, and educational value and the commitment of Hope Waddell proprietors (the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria), the school administration, and the alumni executive of the institution to see the building restored and return to use.
FOPCHEN is an international non-profit organisation with offices in Nigeria, the United States of America, and Europe.
Bekeh Ukelina, history professor at the State University of New York, Cortland, and programme director/principal investigator, said the restoration of the building is long overdue, adding that it is not enough for it to be listed as a national monument.
Ukelina disclosed that the building has, at various times, housed notable Nigerians such as former president Nnamdi Azikiwe and Akanu Ibiam who were educated at the institution.
“When I visited the building in 2019, I was so moved by the poor state of conservation of the building and I knew I had to do something about it. I gathered our team at FOPCHEN and we discussed it. We were excited about the prospects of working on this building and we started looking for funding for the project.”
FOPCHEN’s Director of Development, Kenneth Gbandi, said the Calabar project is one of many restoration projects in the pipeline they have earmarked in Nigeria, adding that they are committed to long-term relationships and capacity building in Nigeria.
He said the organisation is committed to offering training workshops to local architects and artisans on architectural restoration and provide the tools for monitoring the conservation status of historic monuments.
He further disclosed they have identified projects in Delta State, Edo State, and Rivers State that are in dire need of conservation just as they look forward to partnering civic society, government agencies, and institutions in preserving and protecting Nigeria’s heritage.
Lead Heritage Architect on the project, Tokie Laotan-Brown, said: “The first step of the project is to do an architectural survey and document the building to determine the appropriate action plan and rehabilitation activities.”
