NIMechE Abuja Chapter, Engr Peter Ingbiankobo Render Account

Welcome Address by the Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) Abuja Chapter, Engr. Peter I. Ingbiankobo at the Chapter’s Annual General Meeting/Conference Held on 17^th September, 2019 at Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Maitama, Abuja.

Protocols:

It is my pleasure to welcome you all on behalf of the Chapter Executive and entire members of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), Abuja Chapter to the 7^th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Chapter holding today, Tuesday, 17^th September, 2019.

The Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) is a premier Institution for professional development, knowledge acquisition and dissemination of mechanical engineering and allied discipline in Nigeria. The Executive of the chapter and members are fully aware of this responsibility and worked assiduously in contributing their quota to achieve the set goals of the institution.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the Manufacturing sector, as we all know is the bedrock of economic development world over. There is no gainsaying that this sector has been faced with numerous challenges including lack of technical skills for sustainability of the existing industries in Nigeria.

The theme for this year’s AGM is “TheRole of Technical Skills in Enhancing Manufacturing for National Development”. This was decided upon after serious thought as we felt that it is imperative to properly address this issue. This topic is pertinent especially for a weak and evolving Manufacturing sector such as ours. I strongly feel that achieving the desired economic growth, which we greatly deserve,will be impossible  without  sustainable technical skills.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,our Guest Speaker is Sir, Joseph Ari – the Director General, Industrial Training Fund. I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt that coming from an Agency saddled with the responsibility forTechnical Skills development in the nation; Sir Joseph Ari has the moral and technical standing to deliver an incisive lecture on this issue. I therefore urge you all to pay keen attention to enable us tap from his wealth of experience.

Distinguished Chairman, our invited guests, the present Executive Committee members were elected during the last AGMof 13^th September, 2018. Our remarkable achievement over this period of stewardship as Executive Committee members is indeed a result of your unalloyed support in terms of moral, financial and active participation in the chapter activities. In the last AGM of our national body held in Kano, the chapter came 2^nd in the Group Dynamics Competition and just last month, the NSE Abuja Branch organized her maiden Group Dynamics competition for all divisions of NSE in Abuja and our chapter participated and came second in the rankings. The National Body,in appreciation of  Abuja Chapter’s support and contribution, donated one brand new HP laptop to the Chapter for her activities. The chapter has been favored to produce the first Executive Secretary of the institution in person of Engr. Victor Udeme Akpan, MNSE, MNIMechE. The Chapter Chairman also received Chairman’s Merit Award from NSE, Abuja and another award from Taekwondo Federation of Nigerian. Permit me to use this opportunity to congratulate all for these modest achievements. I want tothank all members, individuals and organizations that have continually supported us in the course of carrying out our activities.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, kindly permit me to mention some of the activities carried out so far;

1. Executive and Monthly General Meeting

Our Executive and Monthly General Meetings wereheld on schedule. To further enhance professional development of members, we ensured quality technical paper presentations  during our monthly meetings. During the period under review, the following papers were presented:

• Post Graduate Studies in University of Abujaby Engr. Assoc. Prof. Kafayat Adeyemi, MNSE, MNIMechE
• Machine Tool Learning Module as an Essential Aid for Engineering Teaching in Higher Education Institutionsby Engr. Dr. Ibrahim Samotu, MNSE, MNIMechE
• Railway Systemsby Engr. Chika E. Fredrick, MNSE,
• Basics of Finite Element Analysis for Nano Technologyby Engr. Dr. Ibrahim Dauda, MNSE, MNIMechE
• International Student Exchange Programme of NIMechE by the National Chairman, Engr. Dr. Robinson Ejilah, FNSE
• A guide to American Society of Heat, Refrigeration and Air-Condition Engineers (ASHRAE) by Engr. Usman Abdulraman, FNSE, FNIMechE
• Basics of Air Conditioningby Tajudeen Ibrahim, MNSE, MNIMechE
• Water Services in Buildingby Engr. Ignatius Nweke, MNSE, FNIMechE

I sincerely commend those who presented these papers and humbly solicit for their continual support.

1. Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture (MEDL):

The Chapter hosted the 12^th MEDL of the Institution on Wednesday, 25^th July, 2018. The Lecturer was the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Engr. Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, FNSE, FNIMechE. The Topic of the Lecture was “FAST TRACKING THE PARADIGM SHIFT FROM FOSSIL FUEL DRIVEN ECONOMY TO RENEWABLE ENERGY” Many dignitaries graced the occasion.

1. GIRLS AUTO SQUAD (GAS)

The Chapter hosted this national event launched on the 20^th March, 2018 to train and empower young ladies willing to take up career in the automotive industry. Thirty (30) of the ladies have already been trained and are still undergoing internship in various Auto workshops in Abuja. This has been achieved through our own Engr. Joyce Adams the owner of Auto Lady in collaboration with Abuja Enterprise Agency.

1. 2019 PUBLIC LECTURE

The Chapter held her 2019 Annual Public lecture on the 1^st June, 2019 at NIMechE National Headquarters, Gwarinpa Abuja. The theme of the Lecture was “Solar Energy: Panacea to Sustainable Energy and Economic Development in Nigeria”. The Lecture was delivered by the MD of NASENI Solar Energy Limited, Engr. Dr. Jafaru O. Mahmud, MNSE, MNIMechE

1. Industrial Visit

Two industrial visits were made within the period under review to Quad Cycle Automobile (Manufacturer of Electrical Cars), Workshops in the College of Engineering, University of Abuja. They were truly awe-inspiring experiences.

1. Membership Drive

In our quest to mobilize members to the chapter, we embarked on courtesy visits to individuals and organizations such as:

• Hon. Forte Ifeanyi Dike, FNSE, FNIMechE, Patron of the Chapter
• The Director General of Raw Material Research and Development Council.
• Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Headquarters Abuja.
• Registrar of COREN and Patron of the Chapter, Engr. Wopa Kamila Maliki, FNSE, FNIMechE, mni.
• General Manager Engineering , Engr. A. B. Mohammed, FNSE -Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)
• Vice President of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Tasiu Widil, FNSE
• Deputy General Secretary of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Engr. Emmanuel Agbo, FNSE,
• Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services of Niger Delta Power holding Company of Nigeria (NDPHC)
• Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Nigerian Television Authority Headquarters Abuja.
• Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Headquarters Abuja,.
• Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Abuja,

In all these visits, we ensured that our Audience was intimated about the chapter’s activities and encouraged to formally join the Institution. This has led to a marked increase in the number of members attending meetings and NIMechE events.

1. Codes and Standards

The chapter participated in the national workshop onCodes and Standards for pipe and steel held at the National head office of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Gwarinpa Abuja.

1. Career Talk:

During the period under review, the chapter held career talk for the students of Baze University where Engr. Dr. Friday Eguche, FNSE, FNIMechE presented a paper on behalf of the chapter.

1. CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD)

Continuing Professional Development is extremely important to enable the Nigerian engineer possess knowledge, skills and can do attitude. In view of this the Chapter collaborated with YACSN Nigeria Ltd where YORK the AC Equipment manufacturers from United States of America trained our members on Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Guests, we did our best to deliver on our mandate during our tenure despite challenges. We were fortunate to overcome our challenges due to the collective support and goodwill of all members. One of the challenges we had was when our meeting venue was demolished due to construction work. However, The DG of Raw Material Research and Development Council, Prof. H. D. Ibrahim, FNSE and the Council quickly came to our rescue by  graciously approvingfor the chapter the use of this very Auditorium for our monthly meetings. We are indeed grateful to the Council for the support to the chapter over the years. The chapter is in need of training hall for memberswhich is now a bottle neck for us. We will ever be happy for any support in this regard.

CONCLUSION

Mr. Chairman, today will be the last AGM I will appear before you as Chapter Chairman. I want to sincerely thank you for the confidence reposed in us to serve you. The valedictory speech will not be complete without special appreciation to our senior colleagues, the executive Committee, esteemed members and all those who supported NIMechE in our activities and during the course of planning this event.

I want to thank the National Chairman, Engr. Dr. Robinson I Ejilah, FNIMechE, the Chairmen of NSE Abuja, Maitama, Giri and Bwari branches, our very distinguished and ever supporting senior colleagues for their support. I want to thank my family, my Executives Committee members and their spouses for their cooperation and support throughout our tenure. I solicit that the same support should be extended to the incoming Executive to make our Chapter great.

I want to use this opportunity to thank, the former, President of NSE and current president of the West African Federation of Engineers, His Royal Highness, the Obi Ubahu of Okija, Engr. Otis Anyaeji, FAEng, FNSE, FNIMechE for his  mentorship and support that enabled us to come this far.

I encourage the incoming Executiveswho will emerge today to make the interest and progress of the chapter a priority and maintain the legacy of peace and unityleft by the out-going Executives.This requires deliberate sacrifice and dedication to achieve and together, we shall make our chapter better and beneficial for members and our dear nation Nigeria.

May I, on behalf of the Executive, ask for forgiveness from any member we may have offended in the course of carrying outourduties. We accept full responsibility for our shortcomings.

May the Almighty God reward all of you for making today a reality. I wish you wonderful time for this occasion.

I thank you all and God bless.