Expert Wants FG To Patronise Indigenous Engineers

The Branch Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Egbin Power Station chapter, Mr Obidiegwu Onuora, has urged the Federal Government to extend local content initiative to Nigerian engineers.

Onuora made the plea in an interview on Sunday in Lagos.

He said that local engineers had excelled in various power projects within and outside the country, and they deserved to be at the vanguard of any engineering project in Nigeria.

He said that local engineers should be encouraged by giving them jobs to execute in any project, including power, roads and other challenging ones.

“The idea is to encourage capacity building of the indigenous engineers and to also empower them financially to realise the dream of self-independence,“ he said.

Onuora said that the engagement of local engineers would enable them to be in position to compete internationally and urged his colleagues to put in more efforts.

He, however, urged government to find a way of investing in the country’s engineers in all sectors of the economy, to assist in tackling issues confronting engineering in the country.

“The Federal Government has done a very good investment and I also believe the Minister of Aviation is giving NAMA the necessary backup, “ he said.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Air Space Management Authority, Mr Supo Atobatele commended the ART for embarking on the tour and urged them to pass across to its members and the flying public the good things they discovered at the airport.

Reports say that ART is an NGO comprising experienced people that had worked for several years in various sections of the aviation industry in and outside the country.