Maverick societal engineer and musician popularly hailed as FunmiAyinke, among friends and fans, has just been recently appointed an Ambassador of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the Peace Corps of Nigeria.
A chronic goal-getter who has been driven right from her kid age to better the systemic structures, standards and styles of living in her society, Funmilayo Mary Waheed-Adekojo has never lost steam in her quest through her dynamic focus on the engineering profession, humanitarianism, music and philanthropy.
Born on the children’s day May 27, 1983; she grew up always chasing and championing her dream of being a mechanical engineer and eventually she became that. Onwards she also became a fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, a fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, a fellow of the Institute of Management Specialists, a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants, a chartered management consultant, and a project management professional.
She then founded FunmiAyinke Nigeria Limited and took position as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the multi-faceted engineering outfit duly certified by COREN, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.
However, driven further by her vocation to improve the systemic structures of her society and the standards and lifestyles of the individuals therein, she next founded the FunmiAyinke Humanity Foundation (FHF) and FunmiAyinke Records Label (FRL) successively.
Her emergence as an Amazon who is devoted to re-engineer her society through her mechanical profession, her humanitarian movement and her metro music, all for mankind, has not been an easy ride and rise, considering that she was born in 1983, only 39 years ago.
FunmiAyinke attended St. Thomas’ Primary School, Ikare Akoko, from 1988 to 1993; the Mount Carmel Secondary School, Ikare and Omolore Secondary School, Ogbagi Akoko, between 1993 and 2000, where she obtained her Primary School Leaving Certificate and Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE), respectively.
A bundle of brains, beauty and courage, Funmilayo then attended the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, from 2001 to 2008 and graduated with Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) in Mechanical Engineering with Second Class (Hons,) Upper Division.
She thereafter started her National Youth Service course at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Gumel, Jigawa State. After nine months, she was redeployed to the Works and Services Department, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, after which she had a brief stint at Adefun Investment, Ibadan, Oyo Sate.
Funmi’s engineering prowess was brought to the fore when she joined the services of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). Here, she was made the Head of Mechanical Engineering Unit at the Works and Services Unit of the institution, where she handled numerous responsibilities covering diverse aspects of engineering.
Not someone to be glued to a regimented lifestyle and environment, and apparently in her insatiable drive to serve the society on a larger pedestal, Funmilayo floated the FunmiAyinke Nigeria Limited, now a fast growing engineering company that provides project management, consultancy services, supervision, design, processing and management of all organizational businesses on every aspect of mechanical, electrical and civil engineering works.
Under her able leadership, the company has distinguished itself in the area of construction of buildings, towers, roads and engineering surveying, facility management and public procurement training for all organizations, general supply of all goods, petroleum products and all types of vehicles.
Yet in her drive to contribute further societal change and positive developments to her environments; FunmiAyinke, as her adopted eponymous stage name, began her musical career in the early months of 2020, during the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.
As a motivational writer, speaker and public figure who is compassionate with her gifts and her unquenchable desire for positive changes in humanity, she believes so much in the possibility of national development of Nigeria and in the possible reformation of lives especially of the oppressed and depressed Nigerian youths.
Usually to pass her motivational messages across to people, FunmiAyinke always says, “If they can’t read your caption, just sing it; they will listen”.
She underscores music as a strong channel to pass good messages across to her target audience. So, in October 2020, she released her debut single titled “It’s Our Time” during the #EndSars protests in Nigeria.
Obviously the song was released at a time most precise when Nigerians were yearning for new sounds to help them channel their message and funnel the effects of their protests, amidst the pandemic, to the right ears. The song echoed to Nigerians both home and abroad uncountably.
Singing further, FunmiAyinke hit more resonant notes and tones early in 2021 with the release of some new singles in both audio and visuals, featuring some legendary and A-list music artistes in the songs. Eventually in same year, the songstress whose alibis include #GodPikin and #OmoIyaTeacher dropped her first album screwed tightly with all of sixteen sweetly seasoned songs in both audio and visuals.
Thereafter and quite quickly, FunmiAyinke bagged some notable awards in the music entertainment industry, all within her starter’s one year only.
Among others, the awards include
the Best Inspirational Song of The Year 2020/2021 at The West Africa Gospel Music Awards 2021;
the Best Song Writer of The Year 2020/2021 by The West Africa Gospel Music Awards; the
Best Song Writer of The Year 2021 by City People Magazine 2020/2021; and the Best Inspirational Song of The Year also awarded by City People Magazine with her hit song, “I Can Make It”.
As a noteworthy mechanical engineer who is making remarkable professional impacts in her industry, FunmiAyinke has been factually recognized and honoured as the Ambassador to the NORD Automobile Company.
And for the remarkable humanitarian and philanthropical impacts she has been making in her society as a societal engineer, she has recently been honoured and appointed as an Ambassador of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the Peace Corps of Nigeria.
With this new honour in her kitty, the emerging Amazon of mechanical and societal engineering has further gained attention – and earnest public expectations – in her quest for a better society with innovative systemic structures and improved standards and styles of livelihood.
