In an industry where many believed women are expected to serve as secretaries to bosses, not lead teams, she trained the first 67 engineers for Nigeria’s landmark Escravos Gas Project, many of whom now hold the nation’s most powerful energy positions. And in a society where girls are told to dream small, her father taught her to carry crates, change tyres, and climb trees alongside her brothers, planting seeds of equality that would blossom into a career that has touched over 100,000 lives. This is the story of Dr. Ibilola Amao, a civil engineer with a PhD earned at 23, a Forbes Africa Rising Star, and the CEO who chose integrity over profit in Nigeria’s notoriously corrupt oil and gas sector.

Her journey from being one of two girls in a class of 50 engineering students in London to becoming a Fellow of the Energy Institute UK and a voice for women in STEM across Africa reveals a blueprint for success that defies conventional wisdom: that excellence, ethics, and empowerment can coexist, even thrive, in the most challenging environments. Her compelling story is not just what she achieved, but how she achieved it—and more importantly, why she’s now determined to ensure that the next generation of Nigerian women won’t have to fight the same battles she did.

A Father’s Vision

Dr. Ibilola Amao’s extraordinary journey began on January 18, 1966, in a household where excellence was non-negotiable and gender was not a limitation. Born to His Royal Highness Oba Engr. Adebayo Idowu Onadeko, Ogunsere Gbuko II, Odemo of Isara—a monarch who was also a professional civil and structural engineer and director at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing—and Olori Adekunbi Modupe Onadeko, a retired matron of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, young Ibilola grew up in an environment that uniquely blended tradition, service, and professional ambition.

Ibilola’s father, unlike many men of his generation in Nigeria, held a radical belief: what a girl can do, a boy can also do. This conviction would shape the trajectory of his daughter’s life in ways that continue to reverberate through Nigeria’s engineering landscape today.

My late father as a retired lieutenant colonel and a very passionate civil and structural engineer empowered all his girls. He never gave us any hint that we could be discriminated against.

His democratic approach to parenting meant that young Ibilola carried crates of drinks, rode bicycles, washed cars, changed tyres, and climbed trees alongside her brothers. This unconventional upbringing for a Nigerian girl in the 1970s instilled in her a confidence that would prove invaluable in the male-dominated world of engineering. More importantly, this foundation of equality would sustain her through decades of pioneering work.

From Ibadan to London to Bradford

Following his belief in quality education, Dr. Amao’s parents sent her to England after her O Levels at Queens School, Ibadan.

My late father was Oba Engr. Adebayo Idowu Onadeko, Ogunsere Gbuko II, Odemo Isara & my late mother, Olori Adekunbi Modupe Onadeko, sacrificed a lot to give me very good quality education.

She completed her A Levels in London, where she was one of only two girls in a class of 14. This pattern would repeat itself throughout her academic journey. At Queen Mary University of London, she was again one of just two women in a class of 50 studying Civil and Structural Engineering. Undeterred by the gender imbalance, she excelled, earning a first-class degree.

Her academic ambitions didn’t stop there. Dr. Amao proceeded to the University of Bradford for a PhD in Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD), where she was the sole woman among 12 students. By age 23 in 1989, she had completed her doctorate, a remarkable achievement by any standard. But her father had one more lesson to teach her about professional excellence.

My late father thought I should train to become a chartered engineer that it will help me be a professional and that really helped. Because the way I think is very, very professional.

Despite her PhD, he insisted she undergo structured graduate training to become a Chartered Engineer. She joined Babtie, Shaw and Morton Consulting Engineers in Wakefield, taking what appeared to be a step backward, earning about a third of what a PhD could command. She spent 18 months in the design office and 18 months on site, gaining invaluable practical experience that would prove foundational to her later success. Those three years of training, she reflects, were an investment of a lifetime.

The Accidental Birth of Lonadek

The story of how Dr. Amao became a business owner reads like a scene from a screenplay. In 1991, having returned to Nigeria, she stood in queue to register for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) when she noticed a longer, more energetic queue at the adjacent Corporate Affairs Commission office. Curious, she inquired and learned that people were registering companies. On impulse, she gave money to a lawyer she had just met, collected his card, and returned to her NYSC queue. Three months later, she received her company registration.

I just asked why their queue was longer than ours. I was told that the people were waiting to go in to register their companies. I enquired about the cost and I was told. I had enough money on me.

After her NYSC service, she briefly worked as an associate lecturer with Professor Ibidapo Obe at the University of Lagos before landing a position with National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO). It was here that her career would truly take flight. In 1992-93, she trained the first 67 engineers recruited by NNPC for the Escravos Gas Phase 1 project, a landmark achievement. Many of these trainees now hold senior positions in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, including leadership roles at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

Lonadek: A Testament to Values and Vision

What sets Lonadek Nigeria Limited apart is not just its technical excellence, but its unwavering commitment to integrity in an industry notorious for corruption. In the Nigerian oil and gas sector, where bribery and kickbacks are often considered the cost of doing business, Dr. Amao has built a company that categorically refuses to participate in such practices.

We are anti-bribery and corruption focused organisation and anybody, anywhere in the world can tell you that we don’t touch that stuff. So, it is been tough but one thing I can tell you is that if we do ever get an assignment, a job or an opportunity, we execute the job diligently to the highest quality possible.

This stance has come at a cost. Lonadek has often worked as a subcontractor because they refuse to pay bribes. But the company’s reputation for excellence means that when quality and competence matter, clients find their way to Lonadek. This principled approach has not prevented success, the company has won multiple awards and has worked with international oil companies, including Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total, and indigenous firms across Nigeria and beyond.

Developing People: The Heart of the Mission

While Lonadek’s technical achievements are impressive, Dr. Amao measures success differently. With 32 full-time staff and consultants placed in various companies, she sees Lonadek not as a number, but as the lives it has touched. Since launching its Vision 2020 youth empowerment workshop and career counselling initiative in 2006, Lonadek has touched the lives of over 100,000 youths and trained more than 15,000 Nigerians.

One painful but illustrative episode involved spending substantial sums training six Nigerians for a Chevron project, including international training in the US, Paris, Cambridge, and Angola. When they returned, two left for Shell, one was fired for misconduct, and others eventually departed. A sister suggested the money would have been better spent on real estate.

When you invest in training Nigerians, you are not doing it for your own company but you would have succeeded in making them a global brand. Wherever they go, they are still Nigerians whose capacity and capability have been further developed.

This philosophy distinguishes her from the short-term thinking she laments in Nigerian business. Her maternal, strategic approach to business has enabled Lonadek to create sustainable value that outlives individual projects.

A Seat at Many Tables

Dr. Amao’s expertise has earned her positions on numerous prestigious bodies. She serves on the Governing Council of the Energy Institute, UK, is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Directors, and Queen Mary University of London. She is a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and sits on the panel of judges for the Royal Academy of Engineering UK Africa Prize. In 2019, she was recognised as a Forbes Africa Rising Star.

When there is diversity in a team, it creates maximum value. So diversity could be in character, in behaviour, in gender. Women have the natural ability to multitask, which is an incredible strategic advantage.

In these roles, she brings not just technical expertise but a unique perspective shaped by her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field. She notes that women’s perspectives—maternal, emotional, psychological—catch flaws and create value that homogeneous teams miss.

Continuous Learning and Global Leadership

Dr. Amao’s commitment to excellence extends beyond her initial academic qualifications. Recognizing that leadership in the 21st century requires continuous learning, she has pursued Executive Management Development courses from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions: Harvard Business School, Stanford Business School, Manchester Business School, Cornell University, Boston University, and IESE Spain. This investment in lifelong learning reflects the same principle her father instilled—that professional development never ends.

Her expertise has earned her positions on numerous prestigious bodies. She is an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary University of London and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Energy Institute UK, and Nigerian Society of Engineers. She serves on the Energy Institute IE Week Board, sits on the panel of judges for the Royal Academy of Engineering UK Africa Prize, and is a member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, she was recognized as a Forbes Africa Rising Star.

When there is diversity in a team, it creates maximum value. So diversity could be in character, in behaviour, in gender. Women have the natural ability to multitask, which is an incredible strategic advantage.

Beyond her individual achievements, Dr. Amao is a Co-Founder of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), which now boasts over 700 members and about 20 corporate partners including international oil companies. She is also a WEConnect International Chapter council member, and provides engineering technology expertise on various boards. In these roles, she brings not just technical expertise but a unique perspective shaped by her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field, noting that women’s perspectives—maternal, emotional, psychological—catch flaws and create value that homogeneous teams miss.

Family, Faith, and Balance

Despite her professional achievements, Dr. Amao is candid about the challenges of work-life balance. A mother of three, she admits to spending too much time chasing deadlines in her children’s early years, relying on nannies, house help, and family support. She reflects that by God’s grace, she got a second chance to spend quality time with her children and correct the gaps that were created in that process.

I always advise any young woman to make the children their priority because really and truly if at the end of everything you don’t have your children in your space, I mean if they didn’t turn up the way you want them to turn up.

Her advice to young women is pragmatic and hard-won: prioritise children, but also pursue the highest levels of qualification and certification possible. This dual investment ensures that when children are older and in secondary school, a woman can relaunch her career at a level whereby her experience, exposure, expertise and qualifications speak volumes for her. Faith undergirds everything. She loves God with a passion, and her work ethic, arriving at the office at 6:10 AM daily, reflects the discipline instilled during her UK training.

Catching Them Young

Dr. Amao’s current passion project is encouraging more young women into STEM fields, particularly in energy, power, infrastructure, and oil and gas. She has co-founded the Women in Energy Network, which now boasts over 700 members and about 20 corporate partners including international oil companies. Her reasoning is strategic: women’s natural ability to multitask and think long-term makes them particularly valuable in decision-making roles.

I am now pushing for more women to be encouraged to become leaders in energy, power, infrastructure and oil and gas. But I think the best way to do it is to catch them young by identifying young people that are passionate about their sciences.

Through career counselling and mentorship, she guides young people to identify their strengths, passions, and talents, helping them become either leaders or entrepreneurs who can make better decisions for their communities. For young Southwestern Nigerian women in particular, Dr. Amao’s life offers several crucial lessons: excellence is non-negotiable, integrity is possible even in corrupt systems, long-term thinking trumps short-term gains, and professional qualification is the best defense against discrimination. Her father’s investment in her education, her refusal to compromise on values, and her commitment to developing others create a blueprint for meaningful success.

Conclusion: A National Treasure

At the intersection of her multiple identities – engineer, entrepreneur, educator, woman, Nigerian – Dr Ibilola Amao has built something rare: a career of consequence. In an industry and country where corruption is endemic, she has proven that excellence and integrity can coexist with success. In a profession that has historically excluded women, she has not only excelled but has worked to ensure that future generations of women face fewer barriers.

Her greatest legacy may not be Lonadek’s technical achievements or the prestigious positions she holds, but the thousands of young Nigerians—many now in leadership positions themselves—who can trace their career development back to a woman who believed in investing in people, even when they might leave, because ultimately, they are still Nigerians whose capacity and capability have been further developed.

As Nigeria grapples with endemic corruption, leadership deficits, and gender inequality, Dr Amao stands as a powerful counter-narrative: proof that different choices lead to different outcomes and that one person’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and empowerment can indeed change countless lives.