The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) insists that presidential candidates of political parties must have a clear roadmap for infrastructural development of the country in their manifestos and also engage relevant stakeholders on how to achieve the goal.
Speaking at the opening of the National Engineering Conference and yearly general meeting of the NSE in Abuja, the President of the Society, Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, argued that development cannot be achieved without infrastructure.
He said: “It is disheartening to note that the political class in Nigeria has failed to realise that ‘there cannot be meaningful development without infrastructural development’ with engineering and engineers at the centre of it. We invited all the 18 presidential candidates of political parties for the 2023 elections for interaction on their respective roadmap for infrastructure development in Nigeria.”
While stressing the importance of digital knowledge to the development of nations at this time, Gidari-Wudil said choosing ‘Advancing the Frontiers of Communication and Digital Economy in Nigeria’, as the theme of the conference underscores the abundance of highly innovative human resources in Nigeria, saying a thriving digital economy will create employment opportunities, improve security, reduce corruption and enhance the overall wellbeing of its citizenry.
Speaking on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was the special guest of honour, Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, said the Federal Government is working to deliver better governance at a reduced cost to Nigerians, leveraging digital technologies in all sectors and government engagements.
Buhari noted that the Federal Government’s partnership with the Society is not misplaced, saying it has further strengthened his conviction that such partnerships among government and private sector players are not only key but also inevitable to accelerate growth and development.
The President stressed that his administration will continue to engage with engineers, to achieve sustainable social and economic development in the country in line with the nine priority areas of his administration to achieve the desired milestones in the digital economy.
He added that the theme of the conference bears great testimony to the potency of NSE conferences to draw attention to the critical aspects of aNigeria’s corporate existence as a nation that needs intervention.
While noting that the digital economy has been drawing accolades from the international community, eliciting recognition from international stakeholders, including the appointment of Nigeria to chair some highly regarded fora, he said the current industry statistics are indeed proof that Nigeria is achieving her goals of digitisation of its economy.
