The Victoria Island branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers kicks off its week-long engineering programme with an engaging, effective, and community-wide awareness campaign on digital technology skills, fire safety education, and much more.
The purpose of this meeting, according to the branch chairman, Engr. Emeka Benson Ibeh, who was speaking to reporters during the press conference in Lagos, is to inform the public about our engineering week.
“The purpose of the week is to give back to the community in terms of skill digital awareness, educate them on what we do and our achievement in the last year, and also to focus on the theme of this year’s engineering week, which is on communication and digital economy, our roles as engineers.
According to Engr. Ibeh, within the five days of these interesting activities, there will be an annual distinguished public lecture in honour of our immediate past president, Engr. Babagana Muhammed, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. “Also, there will be an induction of 59 new corporate members.
Continuing, Engr. Ibeh said, “on Wednesday, the branch will be organising a free digital skills acquisition training for its young engineers and SMEs interested to participate as a way of giving back to the community.
“Thursday will be our AGM and election to bring on board a new executive committee that would steer this branch for the next 12 months. On Friday, being the grand finale, we are holding a market fire safety campaign on how to prevent fire outbreaks with the use of basic fire safety techniques augmented with digital solutions”.
Engr. Ibeh also revealed that eminent stakeholders, government representatives, public and private have been invited to grace the occasion. Governors invited to attend the lecture include, the governor of Borno, Nassarawa, Ebonyi, and the general public through our social media campaigns”.
On what informed this year’s theme, “Advancing the Frontiers of Communication and Digital Economy in Nigeria: The role of the Nigerian Engineer”, the chairman of NSE Victoria branch told newsmen that the theme is picked in tandem with what the Nigerian Society of Engineers nationally is interested in as that represents their focus this year.
Emphasizing on the theme, Engr. Ibeh said that the reality in doing business not just in Lagos, Nigeria but the world at large is now transiting from analog (brick and mortar business) to digitalization influenced by the internet, new technologies such as blockchain and other digital solutions, and it has come to stay with us. The earlier we embrace it, the better for all of us”.
In addition, the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the branch, Engr. David U. Ebere answering questions on why the government prefers foreign firms for major engineering work in the country, said, “in the past, most engineers here were interested in the technicalities and that is our core competence, but today things are changing and it is only change that is constant.
So what we are also doing right now is to get involved with the politics, it is inevitable, and we need to be there and make sure that things change as the case may be.
Also, a member of the engineering branch, Engr. Babtunji Adegoke, said, “I found the theme of this engineering week interesting because it has to do with communication and digital technology.
“We all know that the world is going digital especially since the Covid-19 pandemic experience. Presently, meetings, conferences, and other business engagements can take place virtually, and that is the way forward. Again it is important for us as Engineers to adopt those digital technologies”.
In the same vein, Engr. Momoh Omokafe said, “if you look at the theme which centres on communication and digitalisation, you will discover that the understanding of digital technology is helping some organisation now to cut costs, replacing human activities with machine”.