Owube Ngozi Helen

Mrs Ngozi Helen Okoli-Owube is the founder and initiator of the centre, Start Right Centre, registered in 2007.

Her passion for the job was as a result of a family member with special needs, her initial interest was to understand what the problems and challenges for her loved one.

Immediately after graduating from the University of Lagos, and studying Urban & Regional Planning, Environmental Studies 2002. She was introduced to a speech pathologist Dr Helen Nwanze and she worked with her for one year and a half. She joined her to work with kids and adults in their homes or schools, she saw the difficulties faced by parents and the children with learning needs.

It was difficult for such kids to learn without first acquiring a fore knowledge outside the classroom. Class facilitation will only be aiding the child to complete a task and not gaining knowledge. Many mainstream school teachers do not have the specific training on working with children with needs. It can be very frustrating for the teachers and time consuming as they have a curriculum set for the students in her/his class.

Ngozi kept wondering about the needs of these children and how best to continue that which Dr Helen was already doing. She was to work with the children whenever Dr Helen travelled, she got recommendations for her efforts from parents and her boss, this only boosted her interest and she began to speak to everyone she came in contact with, until she was told about Diamond bank’s bright idea. She proceeded to acquire some qualification in South Africa before starting the centre. Her passion and love for God has kept her very amiable, and very ready to listen to parents. She keeps wanting to acquire more knowledge in this field and never relents in continuous education

In 2005, she emerged as one of the ten participants to win the Diamond Bank Bright Idea, after a series of test and interviews. She became the first person to start a centre for children with SENs (special educational needs) in 2007 with the backing of Diamond bank.

In 2008, she became the first woman in Africa to win the Goldman sac 10,000 women and was published in The New York Times.

2019- Engaging with SEN – dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language, autism, hyperactivity disorder, (British Council)

2016- Msc Educational Psychology University of Lagos

2014 – Applied Behaviour Analysis

2011- PGD education, University of Lagos

2007 – Certificate of Attendance on preparing to improve receptive and expressive outcomes in children with developmental disabilities, Lagos, Nigeria.

May 2007- Certificate of Participation; – Entrepreneurial Management.

2006 – December 2006 – Fate Certificate in Entrepreneurship.

Certificate of Achievement: – ASAP (Autism Spectrum Adaptive Programme, Cape Town, South Africa.

2006 – Attended a 5-day workshop on preparing personnel to improve receptive and expressive outcome in children with developmental disabilities

30 October – 02 November 2006 – Autism South Africa, World Congress.

July 2005- Certificate of Attendance: – techniques on managing children with Autism and related disabilities with insight into Autistic spectrum adapted programme (ASAP), Lagos, Nigeria.

2003- BSc urban and Regional planning, Environmental Sciences, University of Lagos, Nigeria.