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Vice President
Namadi Sambo has observed that for Nigeria to achieve her developmental
objectives as contained in the Vision 20:2020 blue print, she must
build her local engineering capacity.

Mr Sambo who
described this an engineering challenge, noted this at the State House,
Abuja, when a delegation from the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE),
led by its President, Olumuyiwa Ajibola visited him.

“It is our belief
that for any country to develop, we must develop and use our
engineering capacities, therefore, it has been our policy to ensure
that we address the deficiencies in the field of engineering,” he said.

Mr. Sambo further
noted that the development level of a country is measured by the number
of engineers the country can boast of, so the administration had made
it a cardinal principal to engage local engineering firms in all areas
of infrastructural development.

“I am pleased to inform you that some of our major projects are being undertaken by some of your members,

like the East-West Coastal road and many similar projects spread across the country”, he said.

The vice president
used the occasion to further assure his visitors of government’s
willingness to always partner with the Society to achieve the
developmental goals of Nigeria.

He therefore
challenged them to be part of the decision making process, saying “we
must sacrifice for our country, and the more engineers we have
participating in politics and taking political decisions the better it
will be for this country.”

Earlier, the
leader of the delegation, Mr. Ajibola, while commending, the vice
president for his professionalism used the occasion to solicit
government’s support and encouragement to patronize Nigerian engineers
in its infrastructural development programmes, noting that Nigerian
engineers have the capacity to meet the challenge.

In her remark, the
President of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO),
Maria Prieto Jesus Laffarguer, urged the government to promote the
engineering profession in order to help eradicate poverty, address
demographic imbalance and climate change situations.

In attendance were, Musa Sada, Minister of Mines and Steel
Development, Nuhu Somo Wya, Minister of State Power, Adel Al kharafi,
president elect WFEO and Barnabas Gemade. Others were Emeka Ezeh,
Director-General Bureau for public Procurement (BPP), M. B. Shehu,
Deputy President, NSE, Ife Akintunde, Jide Adeniji, Ibrahim Khaleel
Inuwa, Mustapha Bulam, Kashim Al, Felix Atume, Joana Olu Maduka,
Abdiodun Akinwande and Emmauel Awuapila.