Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has challenged Nigerian engineers to utilize the emerging digital revolution available in the engineering space by innovating competitively, to ensure that Nigeria and the African continent progress in line with the growth and development opportunities in the fourth industrial revolution.
Jonathan made the charge during the weekend at the investiture of the 33rd President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil which took place in Abuja.
The former president who also charged Nigerian engineers to be at the forefront in the push for sustainable growth and development in Nigeria and the African continent, said that the high rate at which the industrial revolution is characterized by the dominance of the Internet and a fusion of technologies is reshaping and changing the world at a fast pace. He added that Africa as a continent could not afford to be left behind, the experience the continent, according to him, had in the previous technological revolutions.
Jonathan described engineering as the foundation for development, technological advancement and national transformation. According to him, Nigeria has vast natural endowments to support the development of alternative and renewable energy sources.
“I believe that our engineers hold the key to our economic and technological advancement, be it in the prevailing information technology and knowledge industry or in the conventional brick and mortar infrastructural development. Our engineers should take the lead in the push for sustainable growth in the nation’s development impetus.
“I made the point at the last event of NSE that the frequent collapse of buildings in the country does not speak well of the integrity and quality of our engineering; and this is happening at a time when many developing countries can boast of several secure skyscrapers standing above 100 floors,” he said.
The former president continued by saying that “Having produced accomplished engineers for this long as an independent nation, we should be aiming to take the lead in the building of quality roads, rail, and other civil infrastructural development in the country.
“It is a good thing that the person taking charge today to lead NSE is an accomplished electrical engineer, with a knack for innovation. I believe he is carefully watching global developments in the energy sector where the world is gradually migrating to renewable energy, with less attention being given to fossil sources, because of environmental concerns.
“Ours is a nation with enormous power challenges. We need relevant engineering and creative engineers not only to revamp and boost power supply, but also to be able to diversify our power infrastructure. We need to build and consolidate a good energy mix that is required to reinvigorate the nation’s economy.”
He maintained that “If we diligently apply ourselves to developing alternative and renewable energy sources, we will become a force to be reckoned with in this regard, considering that we have abundant all-year-round sunshine, several kilometres of ocean coastline and different bodies of water with significant waves, currents and wind.
“These are all natural endowments that require good engineering to make our country a champion in the development of hydro, solar and wind energy infrastructure, all of which are renewable sources.
“I must point out, as a teacher, that NSE should pay special attention to the teaching of engineering in schools to ensure that its curriculum is constantly retooled in tune with the changing needs of modern society.”
Jonathan who was education inspector and a lecturer before venturing into politics insisted that “If our universities should serve as hubs for technological innovation and national transformation, the society of engineers should be ready to play a role to ensure that engineering is recalibrated to provide transformative solutions to the challenges of our society.
“To remain a progressive nation, we should be better positioned to deploy the capacity and ingenuity of our workforce, especially in science and technology, to innovate and improve our society.”
By Sunday Elom
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