Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, has described Engineers as master planners critical to the development of the New Yenagoa City project.
He stated this on Friday when members of the Yenagoa branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Yenagoa.
He said engineers occupy a strategic position in the development of any city, stressing that Bayelsa, as a fast developing state needs their professional expertise. Akpe said building collapse and failed projects were mostly due to failure to engage qualified engineers or compromise of standards by professionals.
“By training, Engineers are the master planners. If we want to get the best of a city, engineers are the professionals in the plan.
“Everybody and anybody can just do anything, but if we want to get the best, we need the engineers. Most of these failed buildings are because professionals were not engaged or standards compromised.
“As Engineers, you have a very big role to play, especially in a state like Bayelsa, which is a rapidly developing state. So, no one should undermine you as a profession”, he said.
He recalled the role played by local engineers, including Engr. Moses Dika and Engr Olice Kemenanabo, in the state’s gas turbine project, saying government holds the profession in high esteem.
The State’s number Two Man assured the NSE of government’s support for its programmes, but said funding requests for training should be made collectively through the association and not by individual members.
Earlier, Chairman of the Yenagoa Branch of the NSE, Engr. Eluanatein Mac-Jokori, said the visit was aimed at strengthening strategic partnership with the State Government.
Mac-Jokori, who congratulated Dr. Akpe on his appointment as Deputy Governor, appealed for government sponsorship of members to attend NSE and COREN training programmes and other conferences.
He also solicited support for the promotion of engineering education and the construction of a 500-metre access road to the NSE Yenagoa flagship Engineering Resource Centre.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells,
Yenagoa

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has charged contractors and consultants handling its projects across the Niger Delta to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms to ensure faster and sustainable project delivery.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, gave the charge while declaring open a three-day sensitisation programme recently in Port Harcourt, with the theme: “Enhancing Capacity for Alternative Dispute Resolution”, for NDDC contractors and consultants.
Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, said the programme was informed by the recognition that while conflicts are inevitable in project implementation, their escalation can be prevented through early identification and professional management.
He noted that disagreements in the course of execution could arise from issues such as payments, variations, designs, project timelines, quality of work, measurements, access to sites, contractual obligations and relationships with host communities.
According to him, the ability to address such issues promptly could determine whether a problem is resolved within days or allowed to degenerate into a dispute lasting months or years.
The NDDC Chief Executive said the consequences of delayed projects go beyond the  Commission and its contractors, stressing that communities waiting for roads, bridges, schools, healthcare facilities and other interventions bear the ultimate burden.
He listed delayed completion, increased project costs, strained relationships, litigation, claims and loss of valuable time among the consequences of unresolved conflicts.
Ogbuku described contractors and consultants as critical first responders in conflict management because of their proximity to project sites, host communities and emerging challenges, and urged them to develop capacity to identify early warning signs and negotiate effectively.
He identified negotiation, zes early dispute avoidance as key to successful delivery.

Mediation, conciliation, adjudication and arbitration as practical ADR mechanisms that could be deployed depending on the nature of disputes, adding that the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) emphasizes early dispute avoidance as key to successful delivery.
He stressed that ADR should not be seen as a means of avoiding accountability or compromising legitimate contractual rights, but as a mechanism for addressing problems intelligently, proportionately and early enough.
Also speaking, the Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Department, Mr. Godwin Ayewumi Ogedegbe, said the complex social, economic and environmental realities of the Niger Delta often generate tensions which, if poorly managed, could undermine development projects.
He said contractors must understand host community dynamics to ensure their interventions promote inclusion, trust and cooperation, rather than deepening divisions.
Presenting the lead paper, Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert called on the NDDC and its contractors to integrate conflict sensitivity and ADR into everyday project hnically sound projects could still fail when community expectations and grievances are poorly managed. execution, warning that technically sound projects could still fail when community expectations and grievances are poorly managed.
He identified elite capture, exclusion, local-content disputes, land and compensation issues, employment grievances and environmental concerns as major risks, and advocated stakeholder mapping, transparent communication, early-warning mechanisms and accessible grievance channels, declaring that “peace is not an accessory to project delivery; it is part of the infrastructure we are building.”

Akujobi Amadi

The 13th All Nigeria Universities Debate Championship will commence in Port Harcourt, today with the opening ceremony taking place at the Rivers State University.

The eight-day intellectual contest, according to the organisers, is aimed at promoting reasoned discourse and raising a generation of Nigerians who can win arguments with words rather than violence.

This was contained in a statement by the Local Organising Committee Chairman, Dr Dike Harcourt, and made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt at the weekend.

According to Dike, the championship, hosted by the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, is bringing together students from universities across the six geopolitical zones of the country to compete in what is regarded as Nigeria’s foremost intercollegiate debate competition.

He said the 13th edition, with the theme, “Reason Over Anarchy: Raising A Generation That Wins With Words,” would provide an opportunity for participants to demonstrate their intellectual abilities, critical thinking, research skills and capacity for persuasive communication.

Dike stated that the championship, organised by the All Nigeria Universities Debating Council, had over the years established itself as a major platform for identifying and nurturing intellectual leadership among Nigerian undergraduates.

He noted that previous editions of the competition had produced debaters who later distinguished themselves in various fields, including law, governance, business, academia and public service, adding that the decision to host the latest edition at the Rivers State University reflected the institution’s commitment to intellectual development.

The statement quoted the President/Chairman of the All Nigeria Universities Debating Council, Prof. A. A. Owoade, as saying that the theme of the championship was particularly relevant to the challenges confronting the country, stressing the need for young Nigerians to embrace reasoned argument rather than violence.

Owoade said the competition was designed to invest in a generation of Nigerians who understand that the ability to reason clearly, argue persuasively and lead with words remained one of the most powerful tools for positive change in society.

The opening ceremony of the championship will be witnessed by distinguished guests from the Federal and Rivers State Governments, the National Universities Commission, university authorities, debaters, coaches and alumni expected to attend.

According to the organisers, preliminary rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the grand finale will take place during the championship, with the 13th ANUDC champion expected to emerge on September 12, while the programme will run until September 13.

The Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, expressed the institution’s readiness to host the championship, saying the university believes in knowledge, rigorous intellectual discourse and the transformative power of education.

The organisers explained that this year’s theme was a deliberate response to what they described as increasing noise, division and aggression in public discourse, stressing that structured debate and disciplined use of language remained essential to building a functional democratic society.

King Onunwor