Lorine Emenike
The Minister of Science and Technology. Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has tasked Professionals in Nigeria especially engineers to leverage excellence in local capacity and economic empowerment, to ensure that they take their rightful place in winning contract bids.
This, he said, will enable them in contributing not only to the development of the country but also in engineering infrastructure.
The minister made this demand while speaking as the chairman of the 18th investiture of the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN) in Port Harcourt.
Onu said: “The federal government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has demonstrated its desire to increase the quantum of value addition in Nigeria’s Economy in a sustainable manner.
“This is being achieved by placing Nigeria professionals at the very heart of national development through the Presidential Executive Order No. 5, which was issued in 2018.
“The Order stipulates amongst many other things, that the procuring entities shall give preference to Nigerian Companies and firms in the award of contracts, in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.
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“The Presidential Executive Order No. 5, therefore is an instrument that Engineers, lawyers and indeed all professionals in Nigeria should leverage on to ensure that they take their rightful place in contributing economic empowerment.
“Engineers have a very important role to play, with respect to the implementation of the Executive Order No.5. This Executive Order is a revolutionary document that will put the Nigeria professionals at the center of development.
“So we expect that the New president, Engr. George C. Okoroma, will use his office to get members of this great association to benefit because what we want is to see Nigeria become a self reliant Nation”
“We want to stop the importation of all the things that we need in the country and we believe that many of those things can be produced here and so we expect a lot from the Association”
The new President of the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN), Engr. George Chukwulewa Okoroma, in his inaugural address as the new National President of ACEN, said that “the major challenge that we are facing in discharging our duties right as consulting firms in Nigeria is the government and Nigerians’ unrepentant penchant for foreign-made goods and consulting services.
“This has led to low patronage of the services of consulting engineers in Nigeria as we now have to compete for contracts with foreign companies in Nigeria.
“If our government and people cannot trust us, their own, to be able to execute their projects according to standard and specifications, then, consulting engineering which is the bedrock of sustainable infrastructural development of nations has a long way to go in Nigeria.
“We therefore, ask for the government of this nation and her people to give indigenous consulting engineers their due place in issues of project designs, constructions, operation and maintenance.
“If need be, we are willing to collaborate and partner with foreign consulting engineers in areas where we lack or need more expertise.
“We are pleased and happy that the Federal Government of Nigeria on the 2nd of February issued an Executive Order called Presidential Order 5 outlining procedures for Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian content in contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology.
“This is a bold step by the Nigeria government to encourage indigenous engineering consultants as key players in the infrastructural development of the nation”
“We as consulting engineering firms are poised and ready to key into his laudable policy, we however hope and pray that the process of implementation will be internalized in all miniseries, department, and agencies (MDAs) of government, international and private organizations across the length and breadth of our Nation”
