By Ernest Nzor,
The Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), has said that the engineers play key role in helping the country overcome its numerous economic challenges.
National Chairman of the Institution, Engr Olufunmilade Akingbagbohun, stated this in Abuja at the 2022 Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture, MEDL organised by the NIMechE, with the theme “Leadership Qualities And Skills For Effective Management Of Divisions Of The Nigerian Society Of Engineers.”
Akingbagbohun noted that the NIMechE under her administration has made tremendous progresses to broaden the institution’s scope and serve its members, despite various challenges encountered.
She explained that the Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture is one of the programmes of NIMechE which offers an avenue for experienced, distinguished mechanical engineers who have achieved tremendous progress and proven track records in their chosen area of specializations to share their experiences, knowledge and lessons while offering solution to trending engineering and economic development issues.
She said: “Our Country is not insulated from the happenings around the world. For economy to be technological standpoint, engineers play a crucial role in assisting our country overcome it numerous challenges.
“As Mechanical Engineers, we are united by our resolve as a professional family to mobilize knowledge and experience towards addressing the critical challenges facing our country.”
In his remarks, President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Tasiu Sa’ad Godari-Wudil, said unprofessional developers are responsible for over 99 per-cent of cases of building collapse in Nigeria.
Godari-Wudil urged the engineers to work hard and make sure that the profession produce the right engineers.
He said: “The customer is the most important person in this process, most of the time they don’t employ the services of our professionals. They employ the services of quacks, and that is why you see 99% of the building collapses do not involve our professional members.
“It is involved people, somebody who just say I know how to do it. So we would like to call on the Nigerian public to always involve professionals. In situations where our members are involved in such shoddy deals and the failures are traced to them we will handle them we have our processes of disciplining our members.”
On his part, the guest lecturer, Engr Ahmed Kadi Amshi, urged NIMechE to serve as a resource pool to COREN and ensure that Engineering firms and establishments practice Engineering according to the rules and regulations of COREN.
He also tasked them on mentoring of young engineers, identify innovations by young engineers, reward, support and encourage them, while calling for promotion of consumption of made-in-Nigeria goods and services.
He said: “For the Society to collectively advance the frontier of Engineering to a very high level and make the Nigerian Society of Engineers a great Society to belong by all members and be an envy to all other Professional Organizations in Nigeria, Divisions must wake up to their responsibilities to meet up with the set aims and objectives and elect Leaders that have requisite qualities and skills.”