Born on 16th April, this sharing the same birthday with Charlie Chaplin and Pope Benedict XVI, Engr. Charles Aniweta Mbanefo, a product of the prestigious College of the Immaculate Conception (CIC) Enugu (SEMPER FIDELIS) was an alumnus of the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering and a Masters Degree in Foundation Engineering.
Young Mbanefo began his distinguished engineering career as a pupil engineer with the Glamorgan County Council, South Wale United Kingdom before further gathering his rich experience in construction at Michelle Construction UK and Collavino Incorporated Construction, Ontario, Canada, Thomas White Consulting UK, J R Richard Consulting Ontario Canada, and Trow Ontario Canada. He was also a lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, Algonquin Poly, Ottawa, Canada.
in 1979, then the Emir of Zazzau, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Shehu Idris, CFR, persuaded Engr. Charles Aniweta Mbanefo to return to Nigeria and contribute toward the development of the new Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Engr. Charles Aniweta Mbanefo joined the services of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) as a Principal Engineer in 1982, and served the nation meritoriously till his retirement as a Deputy Director in 2001.
During in his active years, Engr. Mbanefo supervised the construction of some major districts and monumental edifices in the Federal Capital Territory; and some of the projects in FCT that he participated in are: the Aso Villa, the National Assembly (design stage), the Supreme Court, the Federal Secretariat, the National Stadium, the National Mosque, the Transcorp Hilton, Maitama District, Garki II District, Jabi District (design stage), and many others.
At the conception, the original design of Maitama District had five bridges, but when Engr. Mbanefo took charge as the Chief Resident Engineer for the project, he, with his team, displayed a mastery and prolific engineering finesse by removing four of the bridges, replacing them with culverts and underground drainage; that they also introduced a dam along the Shehu Shagari Way which is plied daily without noticing.
On a professional side, Engr. Mbanefo was the founding Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers Abuja Branch. He served as ExCo Member of NSE for four years (1988-1992) and elected as NSE 3rd Vice President in 1992, and was the last 3rd Vice President before the amendment of the constitution the same year. In in 1993, he was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents under the new constitution.
In 1996, he was elected unopposed as NSE Deputy President and later became the 21st President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in 1998, thereby maintaining his family’s distinguished professional tradition just like his brothers – Amb. (Chief) A.C.I. Mbanefo CON, MFR, FCA, the Odu III of Onitsha – Past President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and Arch. Frank Mbanefo, FNIA – Past President, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA).
Many years after retirement, Engr. Charles Aniweta Mbanefo continues to be very active in the Nigerian Society of Engineers and engineering community in general, and has been a member of the Council for 26 consecutive years. He is currently a member NSE Board of Trustees,
Charles Aniweta Mbanefo held the traditional title of “Nwamulunanma Onitsha,” he was an extraordinary quintessential star in the intellectual firmament; a charismatic leader; an embodiment of an academic genius and maturity; a repository of wisdom; a monument of excellence; a compendium of integrity; and a citadel of simplicity and humility.
He passed away on Thursday, 27th October 2022, at the age of 81.