Following the downturns of the nation’s economy, eggheads in the engineering profession have asked engineers to provide alternative ways of steering the nation to the path of productivity and economic recovery.
Leading the call at the inauguration of 7th chairman and 2020/22 executives of the Lagos chapter of Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), the national chairman, Prof. Mohammed Ndalimam, said engineers should be working with relevant authorities in providing solutions to local challenges related to mechanical engineering.
He stressed that the developmental challenges in Lagos and the country at large, present opportunities for engineers to showcase their skills and drive the nation to the path of economic recovery.
Prof Ndalimam, who was represented by the incoming national Chairman, Dr. Fumilade Akingbaghohum, urged engineers to rise up to the challenges of national development by coming out with innovations that will drive the nation’s development.
According to him, engineers have always been problem solvers, they should be more creative and address issues relating to reliance on foreign products.
He applauded a former chairman of Apapa branch of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ibrahim Aledu for inventing a mechanical ventilator to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign products and urged other engineers to emulate him.
Similarly, former NSE Vice president and Chairman, National Automotive Council, Chief Akintunde Zedomi, urged engineers to rise up and use their resource to improve the lives of Nigerians.
Expounding the topic: “Human Capacity for National Development: Role of Nigerian Engineers”, the guest speaker, Kaamil Olalekan, stressed the importance of capacity building in the field of engineering.
According to him, capacity building in any field of endeavour like engineering cannot be over emphasised as it is a measurable improvement in the competence and ability of the skilled individual to fulfill a set task.
He stressed that technology evolves by the day as science advances almost every moment with new discoveries and innovations, hence the skills acquired by engineers in tertiary institutions cannot sustain performance without on the job training and retraining programmes.
The outgoing chairman of the chapter, Dr. Uche Obiajulu, said the chapter has made tremendous progress in unusual situations through innovations.
This, he said, gave the chapter opportunities to accommodate global audiences and speakers.
Obiajulu said the chapter sustained its training programmes by redesigning it to involve the use of Zoom, while technical papers were distributed through Telegram App online as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19.
The incoming Chairman, Abdulganiyu Taimiyu, urged engineers and scientists to provide solutions to societal challenges through innovations and technological developments in all aspects of lives such as transportation, manufacturing, housing, communication and agriculture.
He said the next two years of his administration would be dedicated to human capacity development geared towards national development and membership empowerment.
Taimiyu enjoined members to embrace entrepreneurship and equip themselves with managerial skills.
