Ebele Ofunneamaka Okeke CFR and OON (Born 14, June 1948) is a Nigerian Civil engineer and former Head of

Nigerian Civil Service The Nigerian Civil Service consists of employees in Nigerian government agencies other than the military and police. Most employees are career civil servants in the Nigerian ministries, progressing based on qualifications and seniority. Recently ...

Life and career

She was born on 14 June 1948 at

Nnewi North Nnewi North is a Local Government Area in Anambra State, south-central Nigeria. Nnewi is the only town in Nnewi North LGA. It has four villages (sub-towns) that make up the one-town local government, which includes; Otolo, Uruagu, Umudim and Nnewi ...

, Anambra State, Nigeria. She had her secondary education at Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls' School

Elelenwo, Port Harcourt Elelenwo is a town in the metropolitan area of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, a country in West Africa. It is home to several state-owned media establishments, including Rivers State Television (RSTV) and Radio Rivers. Location Elelenwo shares a bord ...

, where she obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1965. She proceeded to the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

where she obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in

Civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

(1971). She holds a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in ground water from Loughborough University. She also obtained a Post Graduate Degree (PGD) in

Hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is call ...

and

Hydrogeology Hydrogeology (''hydro-'' meaning water, and ''-geology'' meaning the study of the Earth) is the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater in the soil and rocks of the Earth's crust (commonly in aqui ...

from the

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1979. She then returned to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

to obtain a Master of Business Administration, MBA degree from the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has th ...

in 2001. In March 2007, she became the Permanent Secretary of th
Federal Ministry of Water Resources
and after months of service, she became the Head of

, making her the first female to served in that capacity from the history of

. She held this position until 2008, when she finally retired from the

. She is one of the

Civil engineers This list of civil engineers is a list of notable people who have been trained in or have practiced civil engineering. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U ...

who have contributed tremendously to

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

development in

. She founded the Abuja Chapter of th
Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN)
She was one of the six delegates that represented the retired civil servants at the 2014 Nigeria's National Conference.

Awards and honours

She is a receiver of honours and award, which include: * CFR (2006) * OON

Fellowships

*Fellow and Chartered Civil Engineer of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Great Britain and Ireland * Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers. *Member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeriabr>(COREN)
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okeke, Ebele Ofunneamaka People from Nnewi 1948 births Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls' School alumni Living people Nigerian Permanent Secretaries Nigerian civil engineers Alumni of the University of Southampton University of Nigeria alumni Nigerian women engineers 21st-century women engineers

Life and career

Awards and honours

Fellowships

See also

References