By Sebastine Obasi

The Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, has set up a department to prosecute errant industry members in a bid to enforce professionalism on the job.

The Chairman of NSE Egbin Power Station Branch, Mr. Obidiegwu Onuora, stated this at the weekend during an investiture and award of fellowship (FNSE) on the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Egbin, Mr. Mike Uzoigbe.

Onuora explained that the move became necessary, as it had been observed that some quacks and companies have been parading themselves as members of the society, thus forcing the national body of the NSE, under the leadership of its National President, Mr. Mustapha Shehu, to set up a committee to investigate and prosecute them.

According to him, “Only the enforcement of the Engineering Regulation Act can eliminate quackery in engineering practice.” He added that the creation of awareness about the skills of professional engineers and professional practice would help to achieve this goal, as quackery was a serious issue in the area of all professional practice in the country.

“It is not only in engineering that we have quacks operating, they are everywhere; in journalism, in the Judiciary and all other professions, so it will take the collective effort of all to stop them from practicing. Part of that effort will be the creation of awareness among the people, so that they have information on how and where to get the real professionals,” he said.

Onura also said that there was the need to sensitise people on the disadvantages of using quacks under any guise, which is why the national body is fighting the cause.

He noted that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) was set up as the regulatory body to help in tackling the menace. “The Engineering Monitoring Regulation (ERM) Committee was saddled to assess engineering works, determine the owners, the contractors, the consultants, ascertain their qualifications and suitability and advise the owners where necessary. A tribunal is also set up by COREN to investigate, try and discipline offenders who go against the engineering standards.”

Speaking on the award of fellow to the Egbin CEO, Onuora said it is the highest recognition one could get in engineering profession. “The man truly deserved the award. The CEO is a core professional who has done credible things in ensuring that the Egbin Power Station bounced back from two units to current five units during his time as the driver of the station. In his remarks, Uzoigbe tasked Nigerian engineers to be more focused and dedicated in their field of operations, saying that Nigeria has the best and more intelligent crop of engineers that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

“The award of fellowship conferment on me is an honour that is well deserved, based on my dedication to effective professionalism and contributions to the development of engineering concept in the country. I feel great, elevated, and honoured, that I am been recognised in my country by my colleagues in my field of operations,” he said.

Uzoigbe, however, urged engineers to develop themselves in their areas of operations, and to ensure more dedication to achieve recognition. “I have dedicated myself to read materials that concern my professions. By the grace of God what I read has been a major contribution way to my success,” he said.

Use of indigenous engineers

To promote local content development, Onuora urged the Federal Government to involve indigenous engineers in the execution of projects in the country, seeing as they have excelled in various power projects within and outside the country.

Accordingly, he said the indigenous engineers deserved to be at the vanguard of any engineering projects in Nigeria, saying, “Bringing foreign engineers into the country is not the problem but for them taken over the position of Nigerian engineers remains a major challenge that needs to be addressed.

“Our national body is working towards meeting all the concerned government authorities in to ensure that such act is addressed and lasting solution is applied to put a stop to it. The idea is to encourage capacity building of the indigenous engineers, and also empower them financially to realise the dream of self-independence.”

He also argued that the engagement of indigenous engineers would enable them to be in a position to compete internationally, and urged his colleagues to put in more efforts.