ENGR OTIS ANYAEJI, WAFEO PRESIDENT BECOMES THE PRINCIPAL OBI IN OKIJA

Okija bu enyi! Enyi! (great Okija, great)

Okija bu enyi!! Enyi!!

Okija anegbuachara!!! Achara ne to!!! (Okija is resilient, luxuriant, vibrant and ever flourishing)

The chants roar inside the regal hall, signaling to all presence that it’s time to honour the tradition, the very root of existence.

As the Okija Royal Cabinet, led by the Igwe of Okija, HRM Igwe Emeka Okezie, Oka-Ije in the splendor of his regal attire, gathered in Okija (which composed of all the titled men in the 34 villages that make up Okija) and the main item on the agenda was the presentation of the new Obi Ubahu.

Ubahu is the eldest of all the 34 villages that make up nine (9) Obi areas in Okija, and by virtue of his presentation as the Obi Ubahu, Engr. Anyaeji becomes the principal Obi in Okija.

Okija, unarguably the largest town in Ihiala LG, Anambra State, has produced some of the most distinguished and influential individuals in Nigeria. The list is inexhaustible but suffice to mention Chief Dr. Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi (Obijackson), Hon. Fellow NSE and Chairman Nest Oil Group, Dr. Daniel Chukwudozie, Chairman Dozzy Group, Hon. Fellow and Presidential Merit Awardee NSE, Engr. Otis Anyaeji FAEng (President, West African Federation of Engineering Organizations) and Chairman, O.T. Otis Engineering Ltd.

Engr. Anyaeji ‘s journey to Obi of Ubahu, started from an overwhelming call from his people to serve and help usher Okija to an era of unprecedented prosperity, long lasting peace and overall progress and development.

Engr Otis with Okija Royal Council

Charity, they say, begins at home.As a man who has and is still diligently and faithfully serving industry, profession, faith and the larger society, perhaps it is time to serve his native land – Okija, the land of the Greats.

Read:  7 Tips for Aspiring Managers in Engineering by Kamini Dandapani

What has this got to do with Engineering? Engr Anyaeji is a product of engineering. Yes it is a traditional event but to us as engineers and in engineering community in Nigeria and West Africa it is a celebration of an engineering leader whose influence is felt well beyond the shores of Nigeria.

It is a pride to the engineering family that the immediate Past President NSE, Engr Otis Anyaeji FNSE, FAEng, is being honoured as the Obi Obahu of Okija.

Engr Otis being congratulated by other members of the Royal Council

Engr Anyaeji is a Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Engineering; Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers; Fellow, Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers; Fellow, Automotive Engineers’ Institute; Fellow in Valuation, Institute of Appraisers & Cost Engineers; Fellow in Cost Engineering, Institute of Appraisers & Cost Engineers; Fellow, Solar Energy Society of Nigeria; Fellow, Institute of Management Consultants, Honorary Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineering Technicians; Distinguished Fellow, Professional Excellence Foundation of Nigeria (PEFON); Fellow in Engineering Economy, Institute of Appraisers & Cost Engineers; Fellow, Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers, and Paul Harris Fellow.

Indeed the Okija Royal cabinet made the right choice in appointing an exemplary leader like Engr. Otis Anyaeji whose antecedents cut across various sectors of the economy. He is Tested, Trusted and Dependable result-oriented leadership. Engr. Anyaeji is always willing to serve and contribute his quota. This much can be glimpsed from his words when he said:

“All my life, I have always been driven by a burning passion to look out for the common good, and champion the good cause. Through/in service I find great fulfillment.

“Today, a new chapter has opened in my life. Nothing would bring me greater joy than serving God, my profession, and my native land.

“I am humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of goodwill and love that have come my way since news of my presentation to Okija broke out this afternoon. “

-Engr Otis Anyaeji

Who is Engr. Otis Anyaeji (Enyi di n’obi), the Obi Ubahu of Okija.

Read:  NSE President Otis Anyaeji and COREN President Khashim Ali strategise on Nigerian Engineering Development

ENGR. OTIS OLIVER TABUGBO ANYAEJI, a mechanical, automotive, plastic, cost and valuation Engineer, and strategic planner, was born on 4th March, 1951 in Onitsha, Anambra State. He studied for and bagged the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in June 1976.

Engr. Anyaeji has numerous publications to his credit in various areas of engineering policy and socio-economic development. During his tenure as Secretary General NSE he affected public policy positively in the following areas: Engineering Practice; Building Code; Intellectual Property Rights; Public Utility Regulation; Commercial Law Practice; Assets Valuation; Statutory Inspection of Pressure Vessels and Lifting Devices etc. On Assets Valuation, his initiative led to the amendment of the Decree No.1 of 1990 with Decree No.46 of 1991 to include engineer in the definition of ‘Valuer’, while on Company law reform his struggles resulted in the concession of a seat to the engineering profession in the Corporate Affairs Commission, vide the same Decree No.46.

Engr Otis Anyaeji in company of other Fellows of Nigerian Society of Engineers in Abuja (2017)

Engr. Anyaeji is the immediate Past President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, and currently the President, West African Federation of Engineering Organisations (WAFEO). He has bagged more than 200 awards from creditable organizations, and 14 Fellowships.

Engr. Anyaeji, a Knight of St. Mulumba and Papal Knight of St. Gregory the Great in the Catholic Church, is happily married to Dame Nkechi, DSG, (nee Chukwuemeka, an Administrator and Executive Director, Finance & Administration OTIS ENGINEERING), and their marriage is blessed with four children and two grand-children.

Read:  Nigerian Society of Engineers Advise Buhari to Believe in Capacity of Nigerians

You can read more about him HERE