The Director General/Chief Executive, National Metallurgical Development Centre, Jos, Engr Prof Linus Asuquo has trumpeted the need for concerted efforts of all members of the Engineering ‘Family’ Profession to achieve particularly number four and number seven of President Bola Amed Tinubu- led Renewed Hope Administration’s Deliverables which hinge on Unlocking Energy and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development and Accelerating Diversification through Industrialization, Digitalization, Creative Arts, Manufacturing and Innovation.
The NMDC’s Helmsman made this advocacy recently at Women Development Centre in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital during the 2024, 29th, National Engineering Conference/Annual General Meeting of Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen (NAEC) with the Theme -National Skills Qualification Scheme-A Way Forward for Nigerian Engineering Crafts Practitioners Towards National Development.
Prof Asuquo who was confirmed with a Distinguished Fellowship Award by the National Executive Council of NAEC received the Award through his Technical Assistant (TA), Moses Ogar who represented him at the Conference. Prior to that Fellowship Award, he has been a Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Engineers, Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Fellow, Nigerian Metallurgical Society, Fellow, Certified Research Scholars &Administrators (An International Association of Researchers & Administrators),Research Fellow, South Dakota University of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota ,USA and a host of other Fellowship Awards.
He said that the NAEC award not only came to him as a surprise but nevertheless, would serve as a catalyst which will spur him not only to contribute his best to the Engineering Profession but inclusively work with all strata of Engineering Profession particularly, the Association of Engineering Craftsmen in NMDC ,led by Engr Craft Caleb Yiljura which he testified to have fast-tracked the realization of the Centre’s Research and Development mandate of Adding Value to All Minerals and Metals in the Country.
The DG/CE in his Good Will Message said that it will not be over- highlighted if it is said that the Crafts Engineers do the nitty gritty of any engineering site activity. According to him, these classes of Engineers are found virtually in all aspects of socio-economic activities especially in the areas of Road Construction, Building, Manufacturing, Processing, and Research and Development etcetera.
He said that for the Engineering profession in Nigeria to be in the global competitive Map, there is need for the Professional Engineers, Technologists, Consultant Engineers and Craftsmen to inclusively pull their technical know-how together to achieve enviable height in the global engineering ranking.
Engr Prof Asuquo who is a Fellow of the Academy of Engineers in Nigeria while extolling the leadership of Engr Craft Umar Usamn Maikunkele, President and Chairman in Council, Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen (NAEC) for keeping the flag of Engineering Profession flying, thanked the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) under the dynamic leadership of Engr. Prof Sadiq Zubair Abubakar for allowing NAEC to explore areas of improving her members’ expertise.
Asuquo, urged COREN to instill firmly its regulatory role by mentoring the leadership of all segments of the engineering family so as to get rid of quackery in the Profession.
The NMDC, Boss, in his words, ‘This NAEC National Conference 2024 is apt and a wake up call because at the moment, the Nigerian Society is looking unto the Engineering Family to emancipate her from the lingering quagmire of being a consuming nation instead of a productive and exporting one as exemplified by Japanese Engineers after the second World War of 1945’.
Signed
Eweama, Sunny,
P R O/Head, Press and Public Relations,
NMDC, Jos.
