Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — In commemoration of World Engineering Day, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, has launched a specialised skills training for young engineers, aiming to retrain 60,000 individuals to provide solutions to modern engineering needs.
NSE president, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, disclosed this during the unveiling of the training manual at the World Engineering Day 2024 in Abuja with the theme “Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable World”.
In her welcome address, the NSE’s first female president said the NSE has been equipping Nigerian engineers professionally to live up to the calling of the profession in delivering critical infrastructure for the good of the society and the advancement of the nation. The president said engineering innovations have enhanced mass communication and improved the well-being of humanity.
“Today, we are proud to say that the Nigerian Society of Engineers has become the veritable platform for true professional development of engineers and, by implication, the vehicle for driving the technological advancement of our country.
In the face of the current global economic, social, and humanitarian crisis, the world is yet beckoning engineers to rise to the occasion and provide solutions for better and sustainable living,” she said.
Mrs Oguntala said the World Engineering Day platform has offered a unique opportunity to provide inspiration and hope for younger persons, whether they are already in the profession or aspiring to become engineers.
“Therefore, not only do we have students from secondary schools who are here to exhibit their innovations, we are also launching our Specialised Skills Training for Young Engineers,” she said.
She explained that the NSE will be running the programme in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board, NCDMB.
Prof Abubakar Sambo, former Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria and Chair of the Nigerian Member Committee of the World Energy Council, Africa Region in his presentation on the topic “Bridging the electricity access gaps for sustainable development ” said the African continent had the poorest access to electricity with below 60 percent access.
He said countries such as Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameron, and The Gambia had higher access to electricity than Nigeria. He therefore advocated for the use of uranium, wind, and coal to bridge the gaps in the country.
Also, the MD/CEO of Automation and Engineering Academy Ltd, Dr Ikotun Adewale, speaking on the topic “Utilisation of CNG as an alternative fuel to reduce energy cost in both automobile, homes and industries.” said Nigeria has a compressed natural gas deposit that could last up to 170 years but has not been taped.
He, however, lamented that there was no policy on CNG and warned that such could pose a disaster if hijacked by unscrupulous elements in the society.
“Nigeria has a deposit of natural gas that can last us for 170 years, Dangote will continue to be rich because for the past 25 years 90 percent of his trucks have been running on compressed natural gas all of us are looking at PMS whereas a cheaper and cleaner gas is out there without being taped in fact they are being flared up.
“We are exporting 80 percent of our CNG, we use less than 10 percent and the rest is flared, wasted. We need Infrastructural investment to boost gas production and usage. We need more engineers to convert vehicles to CNG,” he said.
The World Engineering Day proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation General Conference on November 25, 2019, is observed to honour all engineers around the country and to encourage the public to recognise engineers’ contributions to national development.
