by Isqil Najim
For most, a 50th birthday is a time for grand celebrations. For Engr. (Dr.) Wuraola Atinuke Owolabi, it was a day for a renewed service to humanity.
On March 4, 2026—as engineers celebrated World Engineering Day—the Immediate Past Chair of APWEN Lagos and member of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) arrived at an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Abuja. She didn’t come to just mark an occasion; she came to start a decade-long journey.
She launched “Seeds of Hope — Planting Today, Engineering Tomorrow,” a structured, 10-year STEM empowerment initiative specifically for children living in the camp. The commitment is bold: weekly Saturday sessions focused on engineering and technology, supported by scholarship opportunities, the provision of laptops, and solar skills training.
“This is how I chose to mark my 50th birthday,” she explained to the News Agency of Nigeria. “By the time I am 60, I want to look back and see some of these girls and boys already studying engineering or working in STEM-related fields. While some may already be graduates, we have a duty to give them a future.”
The inaugural day was a hands-on introduction to the world of engineering. Guided by facilitator Stella Ozochukwu-Dennis, the children transitioned from not knowing the term “STEM” to building their own wiggle bots and crafting solar lamps from discarded plastic bottles. These were not laboratory demonstrations requiring expensive equipment. They were solutions built from what was available—the same kind of resourceful problem-solving that defines engineering at its most essential, and the same kind of ingenuity that Owolabi believes these children already carry within them.
“If kids of today don’t know what is called engineering, who is going to build the future of our country and the world? The world needs them. And that is what we want them to know,” she said.
Owolabi announced that laptops would be provided to connect the children to global learning platforms and international opportunities. Scholarships will be available for outstanding and active participants. Uniforms, sandals, chairs, and tables are to be supplied. To ensure institutional continuity, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Next Generation Club was inaugurated at the camp on the same day to serve as an ongoing structure for the girls among them.
She also used the occasion to call on the Ministry of Environment to intervene in improving the sanitary conditions of the camp—making clear that her investment in these children is not limited to classrooms and circuits, but extends to the basic dignity of the environment they live in.
Owolabi’s initiative resonated deeply with her peers. Dr. Felix Adegboye, President of the Nigeria Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), attended in person—a gesture that spoke louder than any formal endorsement. “When I heard she was marking her 50th birthday by inspiring girls in an IDP camp to pursue STEM, I had to come and support,” he said, urging the children never to allow their background to define their ceiling.
Engr. Simeon Isibor, Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, went further, describing the outreach as a wake-up call on the meaning of corporate social responsibility. His institute donated N100,000 on the spot. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We will continue to come here.”
On their part, the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), also took time to honor one of its own, Speaking on behalf of the Chairman, Board, and Management, the Managing Director of NCDC North Central, Dr. Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, expressed the Commission’s profound gratitude for her service. “We are deeply thankful for the grace granted to you to reach this significant milestone,” Dr. Tsenyil stated.
“It is our sincere prayer that you are granted continued good health, success, and long life as you continue to contribute your expertise to the development of the North Central Region. he added.
To those who know Engr. (Dr.) Wuraola Atinuke Owolabi, this initiative is a reflection of her long-standing professional and humanitarian activities. Her commitment to service extends through three NGOs she founded: Touch of Love and Lifting Hands Foundation, established to support widows and senior citizens; Wurvicat Solar Foundation, established to tackle youth unemployment through solar technology training; and WAAO Capacity Building Initiative (WAAO CBI), the engine behind her current mission to bring STEM education to vulnerable children.
As the immediate past Chairman of the APWEN Lagos Chapter, her two-year term resulted in memorable achievements. The chapter inaugurated a new Innovation and Resource Hub at the University of Lagos, grew its membership, and ran a SHEnovation Hackathon that drew more than 100 submissions. She was also Technical Secretary of the NSE Ikeja Branch and is currently a Vice President ICT NIEEE.
As she turns 50, she is not slowing down. She is looking ten years ahead. “What we have started today is elementary,” she said. “By next year, they will be able to go into competition with other students in private and public schools.” It is a promise of a future built, one Saturday at a time.
Born Wuraola Atinuke Agbaje, she studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, before completing a Master’s in Engineering and Management at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Technological Development from European American University, Commonwealth of Dominica.
Her early career was spent at the sharp end of Nigeria’s power sector. She worked with Shoreline Power, a subsidiary of ABB Electrical Systems, and later with Schneider Electric, where she rose to become a significant force behind the company’s low and medium voltage portfolio. When she left to found her own firm, Wurvicat International Limited—an indigenous engineering, procurement, and construction company—she brought that commercial discipline with her.
She is also Managing Director of Leadtech Engineering Solutions Limited, serving energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors. In January 2025, Covenant University appointed her as an Industry Board Member of its College of Engineering.
She is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE), a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (FNIEEE), and a COREN-registered and licensed engineer. She is a member of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), the National Council of Women’s Societies Nigeria, and the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) in Chicago, USA—where she serves as an Ambassador.
For her many selfless services, awards have followed her. Notable among them: 100 Influential Women in Construction & Engineering (CED Magazine), APWEN Meritorious Service Award, Humanitarian Ambassador of the Year from Buzz News International, NSE Ikeja Engineer of the Month (Sept 2022), and the Excellence Performance Award from Ifako-Ijaiye Personality Awards as Charitable Personality of the Year.
