The question that engineers ask themselves as Nigeria
continues to take stock of its 50 years of political independence is; what
future is there for the engineering profession? This was also the recurrent
theme at the October Lecture series of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE,
held recently in Abuja. Emeka Ezeh, director-general of the Bureau of Public
Procurement, BPP, and the 25th president of NSE who was the guest speaker,
explored the issues of capacity development, the limitations and contributions
of indigenous engineers to national development.
Engr. Olumuyiwa Ajibola, president of NSE, explained in his
introductory address that the annual October Lecture of the society provides a
platform to draw from the experiences of its past presidents in shaping the
future of engineering practice and stating the position of engineers on topical
national issues. He called on the government to ensure full implementation of
the Nigerian Content Initiative in all aspects of the economy.
In the lecture, titled Nigeria at 50: Where are the
Engineers? Ezeh who was president between 2006 and 2007, lamented the poor
quality of engineering graduates from the nation's ivory towers. This he blamed
on the current education system which emphasises what he called the
"science of engineering" rather than "the practice of engineering".
He decried the proliferation of engineering faculties in the over 70
universities in Nigeria many of which do not have the requisite facilities and
human capital to produce well-trained engineers.
The BPP chief observed that engineering practice is being
politicised in Nigeria, thus jeopardising the ethics and norms of the
profession. He regretted that "the process of designing and constructing
bridges and roads are not led by us (Nigerian engineers), yet government has
set up institutions and agencies that ought to drive these". He maintained
sadly that, "though engineers can claim to be in charge of designs but the
actual construction where the real money is, is in the hands of other
professionals and non-professionals". Preferring the words "moral
bankruptcy," rather than corruption, Ezeh condemned a catalogue of
contemporary malaise afflicting the profession. According to him, certificates
are raised for substandard jobs, quantities are inflated right from the designs
stage, payments are delayed and withheld for uncompromising consultants. He
also said that Nigerian companies and consultants are evaluated out of
competition, and indigenous companies and consultants adopt unwholesome
practices in order to survive.
The lecture was not all about lamentations though. Ezeh
commended the achievements of Nigerian engineers especially in the building and
power generation sectors. He equally explained the role of engineers in public
procurement and noted that procurement is about the engagement of a third party
to provide goods, works and services which constitute over 95 per cent of the
procurement done by various government agencies. Engineers clearly have an edge
over others, he observed, since an engineer is in a better position to deal
with issues of roads, airports, railway, communication and others, which
procurement facilitates.
As a way forward, Ezeh advocated proper funding of some
universities known for excellence in engineering to improve on the quality of
engineering graduates. To him, entry requirement to such institutions should be
advanced level, rather than ordinary level as obtains at the moment. He tasked
engineers to be proactive on national debate by marketing themselves while
maintaining high ethical standards. These, he believes, are critical to laying
the foundation for a new generation of engineers that will drive the economy
beyond 2020.
In his remarks, Sanusi Daggash, minister of works and the
special guest of honour represented by Amina el'Zubair, senior special
assistant on Millennium Development Goals, called on the NSE to show concern
for the future as the October Lecture series present a bridge to the future .
Compiled by: Anayochukwu Agbo
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