Ebele Ofunneamaka Okeke Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR and Officer of the Order of Niger, OON (Born 14, June 1948) is a Nigerian Civil engineer and former Head of Nigerian Civil Service^[1][2]

Life and career

She was born on 14 June, 1948 at Nnewi North, Anambra State, Nigeria. She had her secondary education at  Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls Secondary School Elelenwa, Port Harcourt, where she obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1965^[3]. She proceeded to the University of Southampton, England where she bagged a Bachelor of science (B.Sc) in Civil engineering (1971)^[4]. She later obtained a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in ground water from Loughborough University^[5]. She also obtained a Post Graduate Degree (PGD) in Hydrology and Hydrogeology from the University College London in 1979. She later returned to Nigeria to bagged a Master of Business Administration, MBA degree from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2001^[6]. She joined the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and water Resources in August 1978 as a principal water Engineer where he later became a Director in the Department of Rural Development in January 1997^[7]. In March 2007, she was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. In July 2007, she was appointed as Head of Nigerian Civil Service, making her the first female to served in that capacity from the history of Nigeria^[8]. He held this position until 2008, when she finally retired from the Nigerian Civil Service^[9]. She is one the Nigerian Civil engineering had contributed tremendously to engineering development in Nigeria. She was the founder of the Association of Professional Women Engineers, (APWEN) in Nigeria^[10]. She was one of the six delegates that represented the retired civil servants at the 2014 Nigeria's National Conference^[11][12]

Awards and honours

She is a receiver of honours and award,which include:

• Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR (2006)
• Officer of the Order of Niger, OON
• Achievement award by the Association of Professional Women Engineers, 1995 and 2004.
• Certificate of Distinction by the Faculty of Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1992).
• Distinguished Award for Holding the Integrity of Civil Engineering Practice in Nigeria, (2005)

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 Nigeria (COREN)^[13]