Nnezi Uduma-Olugu: Meet first female Professor of Architecture at UNILAG

Professor Nnezi Uduma-Olugu has made history at the University of Lagos after being elevated to the rank of professor, becoming the first female to attain that position in the institution’s Faculty of Architecture.

She also takes the helm as the foundational Head of Department for the newly established Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design.

Uduma-Olugu first came into the limelight when she earned a First-Class Honors degree from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

She followed this up by being the best in her class in the Master's Degree graduating class of 1989 (in the same University), and a gold medal award in Landscape Architecture during her studies for a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from a Canadian University (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg) where she went as a Commonwealth Scholar.

She set up her own firm, Designed Scapes Ltd, in 1997. Arising from the need to set up a Master of Landscape Architecture program (the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa), Dr. Nnezi joined the CAA-accredited Department of Architecture, University of Lagos, Akoka, where she, along with her colleagues, was at the forefront of establishing the acclaimed MLA program domiciled in the department.

She is a member of NIA and has served as the Vice President of the Society of Landscape Architecture of Nigeria (SLAN). She is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and AARCHES (Association of Architectural Educators). She is widely published.

She is happily married to Mr Uduma-Olugu and has two children: Grace and Josh.

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Reflecting on her journey, Uduma-Olugu described it as challenging but rewarding. She recalled sitting for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination three times before gaining admission to study architecture, eventually graduating with a First Class degree.

She also recounted narrowly missing out on an international scholarship opportunity before ultimately earning a gold medal for academic excellence.

Her academic journey continued with a demanding seven-year PhD program and a prolonged wait before attaining professorship. Despite these hurdles, she expressed deep gratitude and a sense of fulfillment, attributing her success to perseverance and faith.

Uduma-Olugu has played a pivotal role in advancing architectural education in Africa. At the Female Architects of Nigeria’s anniversary celebration in Calabar in 2013, she was one of the keynote speakers and among the notable female architects highlighted in the book launched that year by FAN (Nigerian Women of Impact: In Architecture).

She was also one of 18 female architects highlighted in the Nigerian Institute of Architects’ publication, “Celebrating our women of Distinction,” in March 2017. She is enthusiastic about impacting lives, discipleship, and mentorship, especially of young minds.

She was instrumental in establishing the Master of Landscape Architecture programme at UNILAG—the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also the founder of Gardens By Designedscapes Ltd and a Fellow of both the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Society of Landscape Architecture of Nigeria.