Samuel Adewole Osobamiro was born on August 22, 1929. His parents were Mr. James Osobamiro and Mrs. Odunaike Osobamiro both of Odolameso, Ijebu Imusin. He started his primary school education at St. Mary’s Anglican School, Ijebu Imusin, from January 1937 to December 1944. For his Secondary school education, he attended Kings’ College, Onikan, Lagos, from January 1945 to June 1950. Earlier in December 1945, he sat for the Cambridge School Certificate Examination but opted to remain in the school till June 1950 in the hope that the school would start the Cambridge Higher School Certificate course that year. He went on to have his tertiary education at PWD, a training school for Engineering Assistants, after which he moved to Yaba Technical Institute.
In 1951, he gained admission to the University College, Ibadan, where he took and passed the Inter B.Sc in 1954. Later that year, he went to study at the University of Aberdeen, and in 1956, came out with a certificate in Civil Engineering. Shortly after, he opted to do the university’s Honours course in Civil Engineering. Two years later, in 1956, he graduated with Second Class Honours. In 1960, he was among the candidates who took the professional examination interview for the Institute of Civil Engineers in the UK. The years from 1966 to 1957 saw him do the postgraduate course in Sanitary Engineering at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. He did the industrial aspect of the course with a firm known as Gilbert Associate Consulting Engineers and Specialist in Water and Sanitary Engineering, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. After graduation, he secured a job with Sir William Halcrow & Partners in London.
He returned to Nigeria in 1961 and obtained an appointment with the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ibadan, Western Region. He had various postings while in the Western Region, such as being the site Engineer for Comprehensive, Aiyetoro, and District Engineer, Oyo. He later worked as Assistant Resident Engineer with Mott Hay & Andrew, a firm of consulting Engineers in London. He also worked as Clerical Officer, Account Department, Nigerian Railway; Engineering Assistant, Nigerian Railway, Enugu; and Engineering Assistant, Nigerian Railway, Makurdi.
He retired as Superintending Engineer, Abeokuta (now Ogun State). His love for Engineering was so strong that when, to his dissatisfaction, his work became more administrative than practical, he decided to opt out of the civil service. He joined the firm of LOA Banjoko & Co. where he led the team that constructed the road connecting Aliade to Makurdi, a World Bank project.
