ENGR. PROF. OGBEMI OLA OMATETE A GREAT ITSEKIRI ROLE MODEL

He was the personality profile in the maiden edition of the NAIG FOCUS magazine. Born on 17 th October, 1939 in Ugborodo, Delta State. Prof.Ogbemi Ola Omatete had his primary education at First Baptist School, Sapele, Delta
State in 1953. He received his secondary education at Government College, Ugheli, Delta State in 1958/1960 where he obtained West African School
Certificate in Grade One. He further completed his Cambridge
Overseas’ Higher School Certificate in 1960.

Thereafter, he proceeded to Princeton University, New Jersey, USA and the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs where
he earned B.Sc Degree in Chemical Engineering and, Master’s
Degree in Public Affairs in 1964 and 1967. He was also at the
University of California for his Post-doctoral Fellowship between
1971 and 1972.

On return to Nigeria, he started his career as a Lecturer II in
Chemical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University OAU in
1972 and 1974. Between 1974 and 1989, Prof. Omatete joined
University of Lagos as a Lecturer 1 and got promoted to
Associate Professor and Head of Chemical Engineering
Department. He produced the first Nigerian trained Chemical
Engineering Graduate from Obafemi Awolowo University in 1973.
He was a member of the foundation Chemical Engineering
Faculty at both Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of
Lagos.

Prof. Omatete has contributed immensely to the advancement of
engineering and science both in Nigeria and in the United States.
He joined the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) formerly the
Atomic Energy Laboratory, in 1988 and retired in 2003 as a
senior development staff member of the Ceramic Processing
Group, where his major research interests were in ceramic
processing and CO2 sequestration. His area of research is on
Multi-component ion exchange separations, Distillation, azeotropic
& extractive, Ceramic processing for forming advanced ceramics
into complex-shaped turbo machinery components ,Separation of
gases using Carbon Fiber Carbon Molecular Sieve (CFCMS) and
CO2 Sequestration using CFCMS.

He is one of the two inventors of the aqueous gelcasting process
for forming complex-shaped ceramic components, has 5 US
patents and several publications, and has made numerous
presentations all over the world. At ORNL, probably the first
Nigerian there, he was a pioneer. The gelcasting process resulted
in the first collaborative research and development agreement
(CRADA) between a private company and the national laboratory.
Also, he became the first researcher ever sent from the national
laboratory to a private company (1996 –98) to help develop a
process licensed from the laboratory.

Prof. Omatete has received numerous awards in the prestigious
R&D 100, Award of Excellence for Technology Transfer, Advanced
Technology Award by the Inventors Club of America, Martin
Marietta Energy Systems Significant Event Award, Lockheed
Martin President’s Groups Continuous Improvement, Chapter of
NOBCChE Scientific Achievement Award East Tenn, AIChE Black
Achiever in Chemical Engineering Award, Award of Excellence for
Technology Transfer by the Federal Laboratory Consortium,
amongst others.

He is a COREN Registered Engineer, a Member, the American
Ceramic Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers,
America Chemical Society, Fellow, the Nigerian Society of
Chemical Engineers and the Nigerian Society of Engineers. Prof.
Omatete has written many books and has been published by
several scholarly journals, worldwide.