August 23, 2018
The family of Vincent Alaba Akinsete, a Professor of Mechanical Engineeting and Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering has announnced his passing.
A memorial website has been set up for condolences, tributes and memories at profvincentalabaakinsete.last-memories.com/#.W3tifYS-2Fk. gmail.com
The website will serve as one source of tributes to be published and made available during the memorial service.
May God in His mercy continue to guide all those he left behind.
Prof. Vincent Alaba Akinsete was born on March 25, 1937. He attended Ondo Boys’ High School from 1949 to 1953 and later proceeded to St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom, where he graduated B.A. (Mechanical Science Tripos) in 1960.
On his return to Nigeria, he worked with the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) Ijora Power Station and later returned to the United Kingdom in September 1960 and started the Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) course in Heat Transfer and Combustion. He finished this course successfully in June 1961.
Prof Akinsete joined ECN (NEPA, later PHCN) fully as Power Engineer, commencing with training session with Central Electricity Generating Board (of Great Britain) at Blythe “B” Power Station, Newcastle Hawker Siddeley Brush Turbines at Staines, Middlesex (Small turbines), (larger turbines and fuel pumps and injections), Brush Electric at Loughborough, W.H. Allens, Queen Engineering Works, Bedford (for turbines steam and gas. Diesel Engines, Gears, Pumps etc) and Mirlees Bickerton & Day, Stockport (Hawker Siddeley Group) for larger Diesel Engines.
He returned to Nigeria in 1962 and was posted by ECN to Port Harcourt as Deputy Power Station Superintendent, DPSS (Steam turbines and diesel engines) and later as Deputy P.S.S. for the new Afam Power Station (Gas Turbines) where he was attached to the contractors, Messrs Brown Boveri Co. ( later called ASEA BROWN BOVERI – ABB).
In 1963, he proceeded to McGill University, Montreal, Canada where he obtained his M.Eng. and Ph.D. He returned to Nigeria in 1968 to join the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Lagos as a Lecturer II. Prof. Akinsete was the pioneer of Renewable Energy Research in Nigeria in the 1970s and 1980s. He was appointed Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 1978 and retired from the University of lagos in 1985. He was a Principal Partner of FINCO ENGINEERS, a firm of Electrical, Mechanical and Industrial Engineers. Some of the notable projects by the firm include the Design of the Nicon Noga Hilton Hotel in Abuja, the Aluminium Smelter Company at Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State and the Exxon Mobil building at the Victoria Island in Lagos. He was a fellow of NSE and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering with specialisations in Thermo-fluids and energy management.
Source:www.nae.org.ng
