‘Engineers critical to attaining sustainable economic development’

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has urged government at all levels to recognise the role of engineers in attaining sustainable economy development.

This is coming as experts have tasked women engineers to be in the forefront of building engineering campaigns.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Olutunmbi Joanna Maduka Annual Lecture (OMAL Series)/77 Birthday and 60th anniversary of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Maduka said technology was needed in a modern world for economic growth.

Her words: “If you want growth, development and advancement in technology, you cannot involve engineers and this is what they are preaching to our different governments. We need technology to be in a modern world. 

“If we are talking of culture all the time, we won’t be driving cars neither will we be in this kind of building. So, we must admit that the country needs us, especially young engineers to succeed.”

A professor of Geography at the University of Lagos, Olukayode Oladipo, said the environment needed to be sustained to carry women along, while tasking APWEN to make the environment more conducive for women.

President of the association, Adekunle Olumuyiwa Mokuolu, who was represented by the Deputy President, Babagana Mohammed, blamed Nigeria governments for the existence of quacks in the engineering profession but assured that the association was working hard to resolve the situation.

“Recently, we found three persons who are holding mega jobs but are not engineers. Just because you work with Julius Berger for 35years does not make you an engineer.

“We are working on them, because they are having government patronage and that is why they are thriving. Quackery is an issue for everybody but we have some majors and we are going to all the places to know who is doing what,”he said.

While stressing the importance of engineers to the nation’s development, Mokuolu said women were naturally supposed to be encouraged, as they operate in a male-dominated environment, adding that was why women were given some preference in the association.
 
Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, commended the celebrant for thriving to have the right kind of engineering to support businesses, adding Maduka also ensures that the association got the right policies in technology and business.

Relating to some of the dimension in the programme concerning Eko Atlantic, Yusuf said some of their members said the investment in Eko Atlantic City came as a solution to some of the erosion problems along the coast.