Buhari committed to change narrative of Nigeria’s infrastructural devt— Akpabio

By Editor 

The Federal Government is committed to change the narrative of infrastructural development and economic growth of the nation, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has said.

Sen. Akpabio, who stated this while addressing members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Bwari branch, during their 2022 Annual Public Lecture, in Abuja, lamented that the country has suffered poor infrastructural development in the recent past

He said poor infrastructural development has affected the nation’s economic growth, adding that there have been many approaches around infrastructural development and several presentations by past administration with little or no active action in reality.

According to the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the critical role of the engineering profession to a vast facet of our national life and the need to initiate the process of technology transfer that would help young engineers deepen their technical proficiency which they can leverage on and become employers of labour.

Speaking further, he explained that the group’s 22nd public lecture with focus on the Gas Sector demonstrates its understanding of the time and NSE’s determination to contribute to National Economic Growth and believed that engineering would continue to occupy a critical role in National Development.

“There is no misgiving in admitting that as a professional body, your association have acquitted yourself. However, there is some noticeable gap. Our young engineers are more theoretically grounded than been practically equipped. There is a need to expose them to frequent training and re-training to make them compete favorably with their counterparts all over the world. I look forward to when we would have wholly owned Nigerian Construction firms in the mould of established construction companies,” he said.

He explained that for us to achieve this feat, we must initiate the process of technology transfer that help our young engineers deepen their technical proficiency and with consistent robbing of minds as the case of this public lecture, I foresee greater horizon for the Nigerian society of engineers and indeed our engineers he noted.

According to him, “I have no reservation in asserting that the current administration of President Buhari, has made the Nigerian Society of Engineers proud. It is in this present administration that we have witnessed unbridled revolution in the building of Public infrastructure, “the rail lines have been constructed and trains are sputtering into life.

“The administration has been adjudged as having constructed more roads than any other administration since our return to democracy.”

He explained that the Second Niger Bridge is now visually evidential with work progressing at appreciable speed, adding that this upright professionally body should thank Mr. President for this revolutionary approach to end the long decay of our nation infrastructures.