CITATION ON PROFESSOR ANTHONY OMIERAKHOLEN INEGBENEBOR

Professor Anthony Omierakholen was born on the 26th of May 1956 to Pa Akhigbe Clifford and Madam Mary Inegbenebor. The birth actually took place in the village of Uromi in Edo State when his pregnant mother who was then living with his father in Lagos paid a visit to the village. Both his father Pa Akhigbe Clifford Inegbenebor and his mother Madam Mary Clifford Inegbenebor are now both of blessed memory. The parents lived an honest and philanthropic life in Lagos, helping to train many children of other people to acquire education even up to higher institutions. Young Anthony started his early education at St. William’s Catholic Primary School and his secondary school at Baptist Grammar School, both in Ibadan where he was appointed the first Senior Prefect of the School. After the West African School Certificate Examination, which he passed with flying colours he entered Yaba College of Technology to study Mechanical Engineering. He left Yaba College of Technology with the Ordinary National Diploma, which he obtained with distinction. Immediately after his graduation in June 1973, his former principal offered him a teaching appointment. In 1975, he secured a foreign scholarship through the Federal Government of Nigeria, after a vigorous interview, to study Metallurgy and Materials Engineering in Donetsk in the former U.S.S.R. In the U.S.S.R, he designed continuous casting equipment with a magnetic stirring component that increased to a higher level, the productivity of the steel plant in the city where he lived. He was given an automatic scholarship to continue his study to the Ph.D. level but he refused and chose to come back to Nigeria in October, 1981 to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

He was posted to Osogbo Steel Rolling Mill to serve and was given employment after serving in the Company. In Osogbo Steel Rolling Mill, he solved many related engineering problems in production. For example, he resolved the sticky problem when production stopped for many hours due to two billets sticking together in the furnace and could not pass into the rolling stand, by reprogramming the system to correct the temperature of the hearth of furnace not to rise beyond the required level. His solution to the problem saved the Company millions of Naira.

Quest for knowledge was always Anthony’s ambition. The Federal Government of Nigeria gave him a postgraduate scholarship to study for a Ph. D in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering in the United Kingdom in 1984.
He finished the Ph.D. in record time and was offered the research assistant job in his Department.

Professor Inegbenebor played leadership role in many organizations including the Research and Development Department of British Gas Company; in addition, he served as Materials and Research Development Engineer working on high temperature and super conductivities materials at B.J. Ceramics Engineering Company, Cardiff and also worked as Metallurgical and Research Development Engineer, at British Steel corporation, Newport U.K.

His academic career took off from Edo-State University, Ekpoma, now Ambrose Ali University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1982 (June – December) as Assistant Lecturer, before he finally settled down in the industry.

Professor Nur Akali, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, came to the United Kingdom (U.K.) in 1990, and invited Dr. Anthony O. Inegbenebor, as he was called then, to come to Nigeria to develop the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University. He was appointed as a Senior Lecturer. He headed the Department for thirteen (13) years, and got promoted as a Reader and later Professor of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering.

Professor Inegbenebor has visited a number of cities in different parts of the world including the U.S.A., Germany, France, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Egypt, Libya, Republic of Benin and a host of others.

Professor Anthony O. Inegbenebor has to his credit more than 45 publications, most of which are in international journals.

He is a visiting lecturer at A.T.B.U. Bauchi, External Examiner to ABU Zaria, and Federal University of Technology Yola.

He is a peer reviewer of many journals in and outside Nigeria.

He has carried out National Assignments occasionally. For instance, he has served as the Chairman of an accreditation team to Nigerian Universities, member of COREN accreditation team to Nigerian Universities and member of NTBE accreditation team to Polytechnics in Nigeria.

Professor Anthony O. Inegbenebor is a member of professional bodies, among which are: the Institute of Materials U.K., Nigeria Institute of Production Engineers, and Nigerian Society of Engineers. He is a registered member of COREN.

By the grace of God, Professor Anthony O. Inegbenebor is presently the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of our great Covenant University. He is a member of the Senate of the University and serves in many other Committees.

Professor Anthony O. Inegbenebor is a committed Christian, presently the president and life member of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International, Iyana-Iyesi Chapter, Ota, Ogun State.

Our distinguished lecturer, Anthony O. Inegbenebor is an accomplished sportsman, especially in football and table tennis, an International scholar, a competent Scientist/Engineer, and a completely sold-out child of God.

He is a very passionate family man, blessed with an amiable wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Adedayo Ibijoke Inegbenebor, with a Ph.D in Geo-Chemistry and a wonderful daughter, Dr. Ebahili Diana Olubunmi Inegbenebor, a Medical Doctor, and a son, Emmanuel.