Nigerian born Hilary Owamah an internationally renowned guiding force in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Renewable Energy, Mathematical Modelling of Environmental System and a University Distinguished Associate Professor has been appointed the Director of Academic Planning at the Delta State University, Nigeria.
His commitment to teaching, research, and service to the academic community in Africa cannot be overemphasized.
He cares about his students, his colleagues, and the Delta State University community. A very kind, compassionate, caring, and courteous person, he is smart and funny, also sharp and tough.
Dr. Owamah listens and addresses the concerns of others with honour and bravery of which reflects his skills as a comparative scholar and one who knows, not only to speak and explain complex points in water engineering but also on burning issues in the national and international fronts. He profoundly influences thoughts on scholarship, leadership and humanity. He challenges and questions values and beliefs – to look at them from other perspectives and not just to accept them without thinking.
He is one of the finest professors and leaders of Environmental Engineering science whose teachings, guidance, individual leadership and that of the Faculty, has contributed to making worthwhile the advancement of Delta State University on the Vice-Chancellorship of Prof Andy Egwuyenga whose tremendous abilities have sprung swelled development in the University.
He has served in many committees at the Department, School, and University levels. He also served in senior academic leadership roles as well.
Dr. Owamah’s tutelage, students thrived and through his leadership as department head, younger faculty members made great educational and professional strides — each enriched by his unique style of teaching and leadership. He is an internationally renowned guiding force in Engineering science who establishes the scientific basis of modern Renewable energy, biogas, pollution control, waste management, drinking water quality, solid waste management, hydrology, soil and water contamination, ecotoxicology, ecological engineering, mathematical modeling
Dr. Owamah is an ambitious scholar who pushes himself to excel, he did a superb job during his term as department head. He is a visionary, a leader, and above all, an excellent mentor, as evidenced by the number of new faculty members who were hired or promoted and nationally and internationally recognized doing his tenure. His unique style of inclusiveness and impartiality in running the department along with his intellectual and professional rigor can be seen in several new initiatives he introduced, among them the department seminar series emphasizing the department’s diversity and richness. He engineered the revising of our laboratory manuals and put them in printed form, drafted and printed the first and only available student handbooks in the Department and caused the Department to be known within and outside the University Community.
Dr. Owamah was instrumental in securing promotion for about 30% academic and 100% non- academic staff of the Department. He secured approval through diligent hardwork for the commencement of Post-graduate programme in the Department. He catalyzed academic vibrancy in the Faculty of Engineering through delivery of several high-impact academic lectures and direct mentorship. This, in no small measure, motivated lots of his colleagues to be more research minded being himself a foremost researcher who has contributed several papers in reputable scientific journals indexed in Scopus and Thomson Reuters.
As the Deputy Director, Directorate of Intensive and Part-time Programmes DELSU, his leadership were unparalleled, fiercely dedicated and a tremendous taskmaster. Dr. Owamah is professional, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about education. What sets him apart from other educators are his passion for human relationships and his desire to be a lifelong academic. More than any other administrator, he invariably sees the best in each student!
Dr. Owamah is a gentleman, a scholar, a mentor, a story teller, a person with strong opinions; but also straight forward — tell it as it is, an intellectual with a caring temperament, a family man with a strong love for God and his family.
His wide variety of lectures on issues of innovation and progress in engineering fields has continued to attract inspirations. He is a true professional in every sense of the word. He strives to learn, grow, and reflect, and he inspires others with his thoughts and words of wisdom
His intellectual and professional rigor is embodied in his new appointment.
Dr. Owamah’s curriculum vitae
Engr. Dr. Hilary Ijeoma Owamah MNSE, FNIEE, FNICE, FNSE, is presently, an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and was the Deputy Director, Directorate of Intensive and Part-time Studies, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Oleh Campus before his new appointment.
He served also as the University’s Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
He attained the enviable position of Associate Professor in October 2019 at age 37, making him unarguably, about the youngest Associate Professor in any Nigerian public University.
He had earlier lectured in Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State. He has to his credit many scientific articles in Scopus and Thomson Reuters indexed journals. He became a corporate member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and later a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in May and December 2011, respectively.
He is an Examiner (Civil Engineering Division) to the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Asaba Branch. He is also the President, Academic Research and Entrepreneurship Development (A-RED) Initiative, Asaba, Delta State; Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers (NIEE), Asaba Chapter and the National Technical Secretary of the NIEE.
He is the immediate past National Secretary of the Oil and Solid Mineral Producing Area Landloards’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN).
He has attended and presented papers in many national and foreign conferences, and has received local and international awards such as recognition as an outstanding Elsevier Journal Reviewer in May 2014; Award of Excellence by the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), Asaba Chapter in July, 2018; Award of Excellence by The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ughelli Chapter in September, 2018 and National Jubilee Merit Award by The Nigerian Society of Engineers, in November, 2018 at Abuja among others.
He was announced the ‘Man-In- The- News’ by the Pointer Newspaper in December 17th, 2017 He is a recipient of the prestigious PTDF Ph.D. scholarship and has won lots of research grants. He serves as PhD External Assessor to the Department of Civil Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State and also External Assessor, School of Engineering, Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State and the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, Delta State for the promotion of academic staff to the rank Principal and Chief Lecturers.
He also serves as external examiner for PhD theses to many foreign universities. Engr. Dr. Owamah obtained his Ph.D. Civil Engineering (Water Resources and Environmental Engineering option) from the University of Benin in 2016. He earlier obtained the M.Eng. (2011) and B.Eng. (2006) from the University of Port-Harcourt, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, respectively.
He is a naturally endowed motivational speaker, who takes much interest in bringing out the best in people. He also delivered the highly published Second Faculty of Engineering Public Lecture of the Delta State University titled “Improving the Global Ranking of Nigerian Universities by Doing First Things First”. He was invited by the National Higher Education Forum Abuja to give a keynote lecture on “Quality Assurance in Research and Publication”, at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja, May 15-16, 2018 and many others. He was by privilege the invited sole guest speaker for the 60th Anniversary Colloquium of the Nigerian Society of Engineers at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, in November, 2018. Recently, Engr. Dr. Owamah was appointed a consultant to the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Programme for Africans on mentoring of the TEF Entrepreneurs.
As the Founder/President of the Academic Research and Entrepreneurship Development (A-RED) Initiative, Dr Owamah has mentored /assisted over twenty (20) graduates and non-graduates to become entrepreneurs and they are all doing well till date. Engr. Dr. Owamah is a consultant to many universities and polytechnics on Research and Publication of articles in Scopus and Thomson Reuters indexed journals like the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State; the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka; the Delta State Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara; Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba etc. He also consults for some industries and non-governmental organizations on pollution control, renewable energy, water treatment and storm water control.
Engr. Dr. Owamah was recently appointed a member of the Committee on Delta State Directorate of Research, Innovations and Interventions. He is happily married to Mrs Victoria Owamah and the marriage is blessed with wonderful kids. Engr. Dr. Owamah was born on Friday 27th August, 1982.
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