Engr. Ikechukwu Newton Abonyi Ugwuegede, from Enugu State, graduated in 1982 with Second Class (Upper Division) Honours in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He obtained an MBA from Enugu State University of Science and Technology in 2012.
After his National Service, he joined Tahal Consulting Engineers, Tel Aviv for the World Bank's Water Supply Programmes in Southeast Nigeria, focusing on Enugu/Abakaliki and Onitsha. He became Resident Engineer (Headworks) for the Greater Onitsha Water Supply Scheme, overseeing development at the Intake and Water Treatment Plants. He then entered private practice, providing services for the Federal Ministry of Works on Army Projects, successfully delivering water supply and storage projects in Abak, Akwa Ibom; Ogoja, Cross River; and Enugu, Enugu State.
In 1999, he was appointed Special Adviser to the Governor of Enugu State, overseeing the Project Development and Implementation Department. He led the team that developed the Enugu State Road Network programme to connect the capital to all Local Government headquarters. In 2011, he became Honourable Commissioner for the , Enugu Capital Territory and Chairman of a newly created development and regulatory agency, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, managing city regulations and urban development strategies. Collaborating with DFID through NIAF, Engr. Ugwuegede facilitated Enugu Capital Territory's successful bid to join the Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resilient City Network, making it the first Nigerian city to achieve this status, alongside three other African cities.
In 2018, as Technical Adviser to the NDDC in Port Harcourt, Engr. Ugwuegede helped formulate policy documents for restructuring the Commission's engineering departments. He appraised the effectiveness of existing work plans for engineering projects. In 2020, he led the Technical Unit evaluating projects in Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, and Rivers States for the Commission. He also participated in the preForensic Audit review of NDDC projects from 2000 to 2020 in Akwa Ibom State.
Engr. Ugwuegede is registered with COREN (R6421), a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE, F4802), and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution for Civil Engineers (0683). He has served as Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Enugu Branch, and as a COREN Inspector, among other roles. He represented Nigeria at the African Housing Conference in Nairobi and Banjul,
organized by Shelter Afrique.
Before joining the Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Engr. I.N.A. Ugwuegede was Special Adviser to the Senate President on Special Duties, focusing on project planning, budgeting, contract oversight, and advocating for technical project funding.
Engr. Ugwuegede is an Anglican Christian, happily married with children.