NSE holds 6th conferment fellowship, lecture series in Abuja

The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre in Abuja was agog recently as the Nigeria Society Of Engineers held its 6th Fellowship Conferment Ceremony and Lecture in the nation’s capital.

At the auspicious occasion, about 37 Engineers became Fellows of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) thereby joining the league of the cream of professionals in delivering value services to the development of the country.

In his welcome address, the Chairman, Board of Fellows/College of Fellows of the NSE, Engr. Chris Okoye, stressed on the for strict professionalism in the engineering profession.

He also reminded his colleagues about the essence of the lecture series that have been held since the onset of the fellowship conferment.He said the occasion “does not only afford us an important opportunity to functionally consider another salient aspect of our profession in an interactive manner as has been the pattern of the Fellowship Lecture Series of our great society since its inauguration, but it allows us to bring to a closure one of the most engaging, insightful and impactful lectures in the series. Indeed, not a few persons who have followed the progress of the lecture series have described them as veritable change agents towards Nigeria’s drive to a robust socio-economic development.”

He stressed: “It is pertinent to recall that the philosophy that gave birth to the Fellowship Lecture Series is the need to ensure that the outcomes of these lectures are taken to implementable levels as against the culture of generating communiques for the archives – as we have witnessed too often in our clime. Consequently, the board and the college are determined to engage all stakeholders that appreciate the relevance of the Fellowship Conferment Lecture series – be it the legislative, executive, judiciary, private sector, the community, local NGOs or the international agencies.

“Having put the foundation that will drive our future engagement in our quest to re-make the engineering family, the fellowship conferment lecture series then extended its visionary probe and widened its scope to include more telling developmental issues on a national platform.

“The fourth fellowship Conferment Lecture emerged with the theme: Power Sector Reform in Nigeria: The Missing Link. Whilst the fifth lecture dwelth on the implementation agenda arising from the fourth theme. In those well-received and widely acclaimed lectures, we identified where Nigeria’s power sector development missed the energy plot.

“Apart from all the other recommendations that emerged from those lectures, the fundamental outcome of the previous two power sector lectures is that there is a nexus between power demand and power supply, and between power demand and a vibrant manufacturing sector. The poor investment inflows reflected in weak infrastructure and low entrepreneurial activism in the power sector as an ecosystem.

“Indeed, there is no way you can create power without a necessary demand pull for it. And to have a demand pull, you need a manufacturing sector that is vibrant. And to have a manufacturing sector that is vibrant, you need a serious input of local content; which now brings us to theme of this evening’s lecture, aptly titled: Nigerian Content Oil and Gas Act: Extending the Act to Cover Other Sectors of the Economy.”

Also addressing the new fellows, NSE President, Engr. Otis Anyaeji, said: “Upon your conferment as a Fellow, you will become a member of the College of Fellows. This marks the commencement of a journey of responsibility. This is not a light responsibility. It will now become your duty to first and foremost carry the banner of our society high anywhere you go. We expect you to carry yourself always with the dignity and comportment this fellowship bestows on you.

“I expect all of you to uphold and defend the standards and ethics of our Society. Importantly, from this day on, it has become your responsibility to be a role model for our Young Engineers Future Leaders (YEFL), and those who need inspiration to join the Engineering profession. May I rekindle here that, NSE reserves the right to revoke, de-robe and withdraw the Fellowship certificate of any member enmeshed in breaches brought to the notice of the society.”