Experts seek specialisation, capacity building for engineers

Experts have called for the building of capacity/specialization as well as developing individual’s passion for the engineering profession.

Speaking at the yearly lecture, luncheon and induction of new member organized by the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Lagos/Ogun chapter, the executive director, industrial risks protection consultant limited, Mr. Jacob Adeosun posited that the need for risk engineering is compelled by recurrent catastrophic failure of corporations and projects across the globe, which had inflicted untold hardship on stakeholders internationally. This, he said could be attributed to weak corporate governance and non-adherence to risk management principles.

Delivering a lecture on, “Risk engineering and the chemical engineering profession in Nigeria”, he observed that corporate governance is not limited to anti-corruption practices, it encompasses total support for all that is required to ensure safe, productive, legally compliant, stable and prosperous endeavours.

He said the primary role of risk engineering is to help the stakeholder’s, governments, regulators, communities, and employees, among others to appreciate and recognize the actual features of the risks for proper and appropriate solutions, decisions and actions.

According to him, risk engineers are engaged in professions and job titles like, process safety engineers, safety engineers in the nuclear industry, Inspectors in regulatory organizations, risk analysts in a certification authority, risk engineers in the insurance industry, risk analysts in a safety consultancy, reliability engineers, design engineers, cost, appraisal and valuation engineers.

Meanwhile, to catch them young in the profession, pupils have been tasked to develop interest in engineering as a means to solve infrastructural problems facing the nation.

The Chairman, Apapa branch, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mr. Sunny Ejeje gave the charge during a career talk organized for the science students of S-TEE schools in Lagos.

Ejeje said the exercise was necessary because students need to be prepared for the work ahead and also given a sense of belonging in the field. He added that since the world is revolving, it is pertinent to get young people who would satisfy the ever-growing demand of engineers and replace them in future.

He said it’s part of the commitment of the association to also visit higher institutions and encourage undergraduates and as well as take them to industries to show them the practical aspect of the profession.

According to him, as part of its yearly exercise, the Apapa branch of the NSE has been visiting schools to tell science students what it entails to be an engineer and the joy of the profession.

On his part, Assistant Secretary General of the branch, Mr. Obi Wilson Ozobu, advised the students to pay good attention to the basic subjects required to study engineering in higher institutions. The subjects, he noted include, biology, Mathematics, technical drawing, chemistry, physics, English and further mathematics.

In a related development, The Nigeria chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has fingered lack of maintenance design as reason for collapse of infrastructure in the country.

The group added that the country must have a ‘rethinks on it maintenance planning and culture in other to tackle its engineering construction challenges’.

The engineers who made this known at an event held in Lagos with theme, ‘promoting a world class maintenance organisation in mechanical engineering’, stressed the need for collaboration with countries and societies with higher technologies to bridge the gap in mechanical engineering.

In his address, the Head, Production and Service, John Holts Plc, Dr. Ben Iheakam said Nigeria engineers must take advantage of the opportunities offered by ASME to improve their skills in various aspect of mechanical engineering.

According to him, “the only way we can bridge the gap in mechanical engineering is by dealing with countries and societies with higher technologies. Our engineers stand to benefit a lot from the innovations that these have developed and tested.”

For the executive officer, EPINA Ltd, Prof Eguakhide Oaikhinan, the reason most of the nations’ key infrastructures are breaking down is due to inability of government and engineers who built those structures to incorporate a maintenance design in their planning.

Eguakhide, Nigeria’s first Professor of Ceramics noted that it is regrettable that in most cases buildings and various engineering construction projects are already concluded before maintenance design is considered.

In his presentation, executive director, Maintenance Institute, Jonathan David noted that Nigerians engineers need to upgrade their skills to remain relevant as technological disruptions are already taking place in the engineering field across the world.