Engineer Olufunbi Oludotun Olanrewaju SODE was born in Lagos on 16th July, 1955. He attended Remo Secondary School, Sagamu, Remo between 1968 and 1973, and the University Tutorial College, London between 1976-1977. Thereafter, he proceeded to the Polytechnic (now The University), Queensgate, Huddersfield where he obtained a Higher National Diploma in Chemical Engineering in 1979, and also the University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire between 1979 and 1982. He was awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Powder Technology in 1981, and a degree of Master of Philosophy in the same speciality in 1985. He is a registered member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Institution of Chemical. Engineers, Rugby, England, and the Nigerian Environmental Society.
Between
July 1982 and June 1983, Engr Sode did his mandatory NYSC service at the NNPC
Chiyoda, Kaduna and later at the Chemical Engineering Department of the Ahmadu
Bello University, Samaru, Zaria. There,
he participated in developing the proposal for a cooperation program between
that Department and the National Roots Crops Research Institute, Umuahia on
Ginger Processing.
A
Christian and married, Engr. Sode started his career in the Civil Service with
the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission. Between 1984-1991 he served as HOD
Mathematics and Technical Department within the Commission. He was also involved in Curriculum
development.
In
1991, he transferred his service to the Federal Environmental Protection
Agency, FEPA and was assigned the responsibility of the Head, Public Complaint
Unit of the Agency. As a result of his
passion, commitment and dedication to duty, he was posted to the Port Harcourt
Office of FEPA in 1993 until the establishment of the Federal Ministry of
Environment in the year 2000. During this period, the Port Harcourt Office of
FEPA was charged with the responsibility of overseeing both the South-South and
South-East Zones from where he gained considerable knowledge and practical
experience on the management, protection and regulation of the environment in
general including the Oil and Gas sector.
In
the year 2000, Engr. Sode was again deployed to the Federal Ministry of
Environment Headquarters in Abuja to join hands with other staff in setting up
the Oil & Gas Division of the Environmental Assessment department from
which the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA was
established.
In
2007, Engr. Olufunbi Sode was again deployed to the National Environmental
Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) at its creation. At
inception, he was Head of the Extractive Industry Compliance Monitoring (EICM)
Division of the Inspection & Enforcement Department and was instrumental to
the development of several National Environmental Regulations. He was at various times the Zonal Director
of South-South and South-West respectively before his mandatory retirement as
an accomplished Director, Regulator, and
a passionate environmentalist in 2015. Engr.
Sode was part of a Team involved in building capacity of upcoming staff of the
Agency.
Apart
from his regular schedule of duties, while in public service, Engr Sode was
involved in several special activities.
These included serving as an EIA Panel Review Member for several
developmental projects within Nigeria.
He also represented the Director General/CEO of NESREA as well as the
Hon. Minister of Environment at different times at several fora during his
service period. Engr Sode monitored and
supervised the Demonstration Waste Control Project in Erinfun and Ilokun Waste
Control Plants up to Commissioning. Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State (March – June 2012);
conceptualized the project on Environmental Biotechnology for the Enhancement
of Compost from Biodegradable Wastes Port Harcourt, Rivers State (July 2011 –
Feb. 2012); and was involved in the Preparation of Standardized Guidelines for
the Administration of Oil Spill
Compensation for NOSDRA, June-November, 2006.
He was a member of the Implementation Committee of the Olokola
Deep-Seaport and Free Zone Development Study between October 2006 to 2007.
Some
of the several training, conferences, and workshops attended by Engr Sode
during his public service included:
·
Sustainable
Weed Management Technologies for Cassava-based Farming System (Use of
Herbicide), at the IITA, Ibadan in 2014, and that on Safe & Effective Use
of Herbicides in Weed Control in 2015.
·
Executive
Programme on Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies at
Harvard Kennedy School, USA in 2014.
·
Global
Inventory Project Workshop (GIP) Technical Review Workshop, Lagos, in 2012.
·
Training
on the use of Global Positioning System Technology (GPS) organized by NESREA
and facilitated by Divine Digital Resources held at Ibadan. 2012.
·
UNDP
Training Workshop on Ozone depleting substances and the use of Gas Identifier,
Lagos in 2010.
·
The
65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, USA.September
2010.
·
The
Second IUTOX Risk Assessment School on Risk Assessment of Chemicals,
Tinapa/Obudu, Cross River State, May, 2010
·
International
Conference on E-waste Control, ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja. July, 2009.
·
Environmental Management Capacity Building
Program for the Nigerian Mining Sector, Abuja. Feb. 2009.
·
Environmental
Compliance Boot Camp, Metropolitan Resort, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
·
National
Workshop on the Development of Artisanal and Small Scale Mining in Nigeria,
Bukuru, Jos. July, 2008.
·
Conference
on Remediation, Site Closure and Cost of Clean up, New Orleans, Louisiana,
United States of America. Nov, 2004.
·
Risk-based
Corrective Action Workshop Advanced Course (SPDC-organized Workshop), Sheraton
Hotel, Lagos. February 2002.
Since
retirement, Engr. Sode has been into active environmental consultancy and has
at various times been appointed member of EIA Review Panel of several Proposed
Projects across the Nation. He is
currently engaged as the Managing Director/Chief Executive of FUNTEES Engineering & Environmental
Services Limited.
Among
four distinguished nominations that were received for the A.F. Oluwole Award
this year, Engr Olufunbi O. O. Sode was selected not only for his diligent and
patriotic services to the fatherland in the area of Environment-Health, but
also for the quiet and selfless manner he carried them out - much like Prof
Abiodun F. Oluwole, after whom the award is named.
We
are honoured to have Engr O.O. Sode accept our humble recognition of his
meritorious and inspiring services to Nigeria in particular and humanity in
general, which is marked by a special Plaque.
We wish him long life and good health as he continues to serve God and
humanity in the critical Environment-Health sector.
PS:
The AF Oluwole Award Committee comprised of: Mr Adeleke Ajani (Chair), Dr
Adeniyi Oginni, Sanitarian (Dr) Tope Akinwunmi, and Prof Joshua Ojo
