The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) is set to initiate legislation, which would facilitate and guarantee completion, utilization and maintenance of rural infrastructural development programmes by successive government.
Chairman of Apapa Branch of NSE, Mr. Sunny Ejeje, said that the decision to initiate the legislation comes as result of the state and government displaying acts of doubting the capacity of local engineers thereby, favoring their foreign counterparts over them in project conceptualization and implementation in the country.
According to Mr. Sunny, globally engineers are leading in technological development and innovations but its Nigeria counterpart are not making waves in such areas.
“Getting optimum performance only happens when our engineers are well paid. Nigeria engineers are performing well but we are still bringing in foreign professionals. Engineers should venture into politics so that when issues relating to the profession arise, they would be able to contribute immensely,” said the Chairman.
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Engaging the Bureau of Public Procurement
Mr. Sunny Ejeje further noted that the society will engage the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to initiate a legal process in that regard which will promote strategic communication, change the perception of public officials toward public Private Partnership for delivery of sustainable engineering infrastructure.
“NSE shall improve its collaboration with the Federal Government to ensure effective and sustainable implementation of the Presidential Executive Order 5 for planning and execution of projects, promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology,” said Mr. Ejeje
Similarly, NSE, is also advocating active participation of the private sector in infrastructural development, as such collaboration with other professionals in the built environment and those responsible for physical development would help to complement limited capacity in the public sector.
The society further assured that it would champion reorientation of engineers to make them much more responsive to the rural infrastructural challenges identified in their communities.
“There is the urgent need for NSE and other leading engineering related organisations in both the public and private sectors to carry out technical skills audit of all professionals involved in the value chain of rural infrastructure development, to be championed by the public and private sectors,” said Mr. Sunny Ejeje.
As much as this is a welcome initiative, my issue is with that of implementation. How would it be implemented? How will it be monitored to ensure that projects initiated and started by previous governments are continued with and completed for the benefit of all stakeholders?
The problem is not that of enactment but implementation. That’s been the bane of our problem.