The Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers has unveiled plans to increase its membership in view of the critical role structural engineers’ play in the development of the nation and the need to take its rightful place in the building construction industry.
The institution intends to maintain a healthy and clean register of all qualified structural engineers who will be made available to stakeholders at all times to ensure a close monitoring of the engineers in the private and public sectors of the economy.
According to Mr. Ore Fadayomi, NIStructE President, beginning this year, the institution will be conducting regular professional development programmes for all categories of its members. However, the institution will as well activate the dormant membership cadre to encourage its members to raise their standards and graduate to the corporate level.
The leadership of the institution aims to grow the institution into a leading professional body for structural engineering in Nigeria as well as internationally.
However, the present challenges facing the institution includes proliferation of universities and disconnect with practicing structural engineers; extinct technical support colleges the government unfavorable policy and political considerations; uncooperative counterparts and colleagues in the public sector; non-implementation of the Nigerian content requirement in big projects and private sector that had been ignored for too long.
Nonetheless, the institution plans to embark on aggressive public enlightenment to enable members of the public appreciate the importance of structural engineers.
The institution will as well collaborate closely with government at all levels to enhance the process of approval for all structural engineering documents and ensure that only drawings and documents dully signed and stamped by registered structural engineers are admissible for construction purposes.
Besides, a position paper will be written to the incoming president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers on the need to recognize the body as a specialized professional group. The institution seal will now accompany any document prepared by the structural engineer.
The seal will not only replace the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria’s stamp, but also represents a quality assurance identification. Ideally the NIStructE project identification number will be introduced for projects under construction for uniqueness and quality assurance.
i want to start registration of being a member,how to go about it