Engr. Rufus Abiodun Iyiola was born on December 25, 1958. He obtained his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and M.Sc. in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from the University of Ibadan in 1988 and 2003, respectively. In his pursuit of academic excellence, he furthered his studies in Italy in 2002, earning a Diploma in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Engr. Iyiola began his engineering career as a Youth Corps Member in 1987. He joined the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority in November 1988, where he rose through the ranks to become the Executive Director (Planning & Design) from 2014 to 2016. He later served as the Executive Director (Engineering) from January 2017 until his retirement from civil service in December 2018.
Throughout his career, Engr. Iyiola has been actively involved in the supervision of numerous water resources engineering projects, including the design and construction of Dams, flood and erosion mitigation infrastructures, as well as the development of irrigation projects. After his retirement, he worked as a Hydraulic Consultant on the World Bank-funded Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP), contributing to initiatives such as the development of the Ibadan City Master Plan, the Ibadan City Flood Risk and Drainage Master Plan, the rehabilitation of Eleyele Dam, the construction of hydraulic infrastructures, and the establishment of a flood early warning system, among others.
Currently, Engr. Iyiola serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of RTD Thompsons Ltd, an indigenous construction company.
Engr. Iyiola is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Nigerian Institution of Water Engineers (NIWE), as well as a Member of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE). He is also a registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).