Leadership (Abuja)
Ben Dunno
13 October 2008
The National President, Nigeria Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Engr. Alex Momoh, said at the weekend in Warri , Delta State that if the vision 2020 of President Umaru Yar'Adua must be achieved, the country must look inward and harness its potentials.
He spoke at the 21st Annual General Meeting and National Conference of the Nigeria Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIME), at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Warri.
Engr. Momoh said Nigerians should stop the use of foreigners in executing projects that can be handled locally, as this is the only way jobs can be generated and local content encouraged to meet the vision 2020.
He challenged Nigerian engineers to prove that they have the ability to do things that are currently been done by foreigners in the country as this would serve as the bases for change.
"Nigerian engineers are not been recognised by Nigerian government, job that can be handled by local engineers are handed over to foreigners, we must prove to the government that we have the ability to turn things around, so we must demonstrate resources to achieve vision 2020".
The Director General, Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Major General Nnemeka Charles Maduegbuna, said at the ceremony that the country can be technologically self sufficient if it harneses its human and material potentials that the country is endowed with.
According to him, "all efforts to create jobs without looking inward will be effort in futility."
Gen Maduegbuna who received award for outstanding contribution to engineering practice in Nigeria and acknowledged turn around of Defence Industry Corporation of Nigeria , said the award by NIME would only spurn him to do more for the nation.
While thanking the organisers of the program and for finding him worthy of the award, he said he has received over fifteen awards in less than two years, saying that the awards were giving for past achievements some of which were up to 20 years behind.
He said at the inception of office at DICON, only 15% of the machines were working, but with dedication of staff and focus, he was able to achieve 100% equipment functionality in the company in less than a year.
"We should look inward and be self reliance and self sufficient, we cannot create a job without looking inward that is the only way we can remove criminals from our streets. Everything we import into the country today can be manufactured in Nigeria."
Maduegbuna revealed that DICON remains one of the most sophisticated companies in the world, stating that the company has over 1000 machines of which the value of the least is about N30million.
He said a foreign company has earlier told the Federal Government that it would take N8.4billion to refurbish the plant if it must work again, but it took less than a billion naira for him and the Nigerian staff to put the company back on stream.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
