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Tag: engineers

  • Female engineers, computer programmers wanted – UN report

    Female engineers, computer programmers wanted – UN report

    The world urgently needs more female engineers and computer programmers, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has said.

    UNESCO stated this in its Science Report: Towards 2030”, released ahead of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, marked annually on Feb. 11.

    The report says the world needs science and science needs women, however, showing that women are increasingly graduating with life science degrees but are still rare in engineering and computer science, especially in developed economies.

    “An analysis of computer science shows a steady decrease in female graduates since 2000 that is particularly marked in high-income countries.

    “This should be a wake-up call,” UNESCO said.

    “Female participation is falling in a field that is expanding globally as its importance for national economies grows, penetrating every aspect of daily life,” the report stated.

    The share of women graduates in computer science between 2000 and 2012 slipped in Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the U.S., as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean, it said.

    The share of women working as engineers is also higher in some developing countries, with increases observed in sub-Saharan and Arab countries, according to the report.

    It said women in the United Arab Emirates, for example, had benefited from national polities that promote training and employment of Emirates citizens, and in particular women.

    “Women now account for 53 per cent of world’s bachelor’s and master’s graduates in science and 43 per cent of PhDs, according to the UNESCO report.

    “Since 2000, there has been a steady increase in female graduates in agricultural sciences, likely driven by an emphasis on national food security and the food industry.

    “In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, female graduates in agricultural science have been increasing steadily, with women comprising 40 per cent or more of graduates in Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

    “Medicine is also a field increasingly popular with women, with six out of 10 researchers being women in both medical and agricultural sciences in Belarus and New Zealand, for instance.”

    In research, however, it said women still lag men at 28 per cent.

    The figure fluctuates geographically with women in Southeast Europe are on par with men, and at 44 per cent in Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the report, the numbers are particularly low in the EU, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

    To encourage women and girls to study and work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the UN said it has organised a number of events around the world.

    In 2016, UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation launched the manifesto For Women in Science, to engage governments and stakeholders in promoting the full participation of girls and women in science. (NAN)

  •  New vista as LUTH trains biomedical engineers

     New vista as LUTH trains biomedical engineers

    AS the country joined the world to welcome the New Year, a new vista has opened in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba Lagos State.

    Some members of staff of some of the departments and units have vowed to do everything to ensure patients received the best of medical care, no matter the cost.

    In the circumstances, the School of Biomedical Engineering has trained 18 members of staff of the Biomedical Engineering Unit. They were trained by the General Electric Biomedical engineers. They also vowed to ensure they save patients by saving vital medical equipment.

    The Programme Director, Prof. Carmel Walker told those graduating from the school that they should not rest on their oars but to break new grounds in their chosen career.

    Prof. Walker said they had been given the tool of knowledge, which is the greatest of all tools to complete their task in the health sector.

    “You do not study to pass the test, you study to prepare for the day when you are the only thing standing between a patient and the grave. Be open to life-long learning. Science and Technology are changing and you will need to keep it up. Don’t be afraid to admit your knowledge gaps and seek to fill them.

    “Innovations are often initiated by creative minds, so think outside of the box. Make your voice heard. Be professional, competent and compassionate in everything you do. Don’t underestimate the impacts you can make,” she said.

    Prof. Walker reminded them of Nelson Mandela’s quote: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we live.”

    Encouraging them to look beyond what they encounter, she said: “Never give up; always go back to what you know. And most importantly, work together; leave no one behind for you are a team. Show your value, prove your worth and make a statement not just in your words but also in your actions.”

    The Chief Medical Director (CMD) Prof. Chris Bode said it was gladdening that LUTH is still strong and playing a lead role in the business of saving lives. He said the 18 members of staff are the second-class that has graduated from the Biomedical Engineering Training Programme at LUTH and he could not be more proud.

    On the important role the engineers will play in the hospital, Prof. Chris said: “I need to express my happiness at the graduation ceremony and award of certificates to the graduates who were trained at the School of Biomedical Engineering, LUTH, organised and sponsored by General Electric Foundation (GEF) in affiliation with Duke University, USA. The initiative of GEF and the impact it will bring in the country’s medical system is profound.

    “Nigeria was rife with medical equipment bought and used for few months, a year or two and maybe, a fuse or something minor happens to it, and they were parked. With the culture of wastage we have, people are encouraged to go and buy new ones and we end up with a lot of dead equipment.

    “Now, when we don’t even have the money, it is only wise that we have trained manpower that will undertake simple maintenance and repairs of medical equipment to give us longer uptime and very little downtime. This saves lives and money and everybody benefits from it. The era of medical equipment being abandoned or discarded because of minor faults is now over.”

    Prof. Bode said he had the dream about a Biomedical Engineering Training programme and the conviction was great that he had to commission a new training structure to be built without the programme yet in place.

    “General Electric Foundation also realised the need for a better training and skills for Biomedical Engineers and looked to Engineering World Health for help. The dream for a biomedical Engineering Training Programme in Nigeria has been in the making for over 18 years. The participants are trained by the best in their fields and I am convinced that their education, through this programme, surpassed all that they thought they knew.”

    He said the hospital would admit people from other hospitals/facilities that needed to be trained because, “Prof. Kazeem Olusola birthed the vision to have Biomedical Engineering training Programme in federal schools for the training of Biomedical Engineers in Nigeria. His cries and recommendations to help improve health care through medical equipment in Nigeria, was the basis for his inaugural lecture in 1998 at the University of Lagos,” Prof. Bode said.

    Prof. Walker rwe-echoed this and said the graduates are the change that took place 18 years ago. “Change certainly does promote change. I believe Prof. Olusola did more than arouse an admiration for this profession of Biomedical Engineering. I believe that Prof. Olusola did more than arouse an admiration for this profession of Biomedical Engineering. I believe he clearly pointed out the need for this profession in health care by showing how, through saving equipment, biomedical engineers can save lives,” Prof Walker said.

  • Firm launches e-learning portal for engineers, technicians

    Caterpillar has introduced technicians for Africa project, an e-learning website for engineering graduates, who desire to become technicians in Nigeria and other African countries.

    The website leverages Caterpillar’s  e-learning solutions and makes them available for anyone that has the interest to develop a career as a heavy equipment technician. It is expected to bridge the gap that exists between human labour and required skills.

    In Nigeria, three of the candidates, who successfully completed the Caterpillar e-learning modules, were honoured and given their certificates and Caterpillar kits by the company at their head office in Lagos.

    The Managing Director of Mantrac Nigeria Limited, Edmund Martin-Lawson, who described the initiative as giving back to the society, said the training would help the “beneficiaries to upgrade their skills and foundation knowledge of Cat products and their operations”.

    He said two other candidates, who successfully participated in the scheme in Port Harcourt, would also be honoured. Mantrac Nigeria Limited, he stated, was the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar products and services in the country. According to him, the company supplies and supports machines for a wide and varied application in infrastructural, agricultural and mining development sectors as well as range of Forklift Trucks for material handling.

    He also told The Nation that the company also provides Caterpillar engines and generators for the oil and gas industry, industrial users as well as small range of generators for small scale industries and residential application.

    He congratulated the participants on being part of the pilot phase of the Caterpillar’s corporate social responsibility initiative.

    Technical Training Manager, Lateef Adenle said the free e-learning curriculum contained 18 modules of easy-to-understand, technical insights into safety and basic fundamental systems like electrical, hydraulics and power train.

    He said Caterpillar recognised the technicians by giving them certificates of completion, adding that the first five persons, who completed the modules, were equipped with Caterpillar special tools to aid their work in future. Their experiences would be shared on Caterpillar’s website, he added.

  • Petroleum engineers decry harsh operating environment

    Petroleum engineers decry harsh operating environment

    The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council has decried the harsh operating environment caused by lack of investment, infrastructure for gas gathering and distribution and non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

    Its  Chairman, George Kalu who spoke at the group’s ongoing annual conference in Lagos, said natural gas is the future of the petroleum industry, lamenting that lack of gas gathering and supply infrastructure is hampering Nigeria’s ability to maximise the benefits of gas sale in the domestic market, which currently is more attractive than in the international market.

    He also noted that among other challenging factors, the delay in the passage of the PIB has constrained further investment in the industry to the extent that exploration activities are at its lowest ebb.

    Kalu stated that the level of crude oil and gas reserves addition do not match the rate of production, with rig count declining steadily in Nigeria between 2013 and this year resulting in minimal expectation and new development activities when compared to other producing countries.

    In view of the challenges, the theme of the conference “Transparency in the oil and gas business: An imperative for Energy security and stability,” is rather timely given that oil prices are hovering around $43 per barrel with significant challenges to the local oil and gas environment.

    He listed the challenges in the nation’s oil and gas industry to include funding constraints rising from cash call arrears, exchange rate differential in a cyclical oil price regime, high operational costs due to long contracting cycle time and severely delayed payment to vendors, as well as high cost of borrowing. These issues are affecting the much anticipated boom in the industry, he added.

    “The Nigerian oil and gas industry has also experienced massive capital flights due to bureaucratic bottlenecks in releasing information and prospects, fiscal regime, extant laws and feedback on performance of contractors. This resulted in significant delays in permits approval while providing a breeding and enabling environment for sharp practices.

    “The recent challenges of vandalism and outright destruction of oil and gas facilities has further curtailed Nigeria’s oil and gas production, power generation ability, reduced the inflow of revenue, escalated the cost of environmental remedies and provision of secondary health care facilities as well as increased security surveillance and facility replacement cost,” he said.

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Mr. Austin Avuru agreed no less with him.

    He said: “Last week, we published our half year result and for the first time ever since we started the business six years ago, we made a half year loss from bountiful profit in the last six years.

    “But still we hope that by 2020, our production of natural gas will fire this economy. We should be refining about half of our products in country by 2020. “Domestic refining capacity of 1.2million barrels per day is realistic by 2020, and domestic utilisation of between 3.2 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d) of gas and 3.5bscf/d are realistic. As bleak as the situation looks, we see hope by 2020.”

  • Engineers train science teachers in energy tech

    To bridge the knowledge gap in teaching energy-related subjects in secondary schools, the Lagos State branch of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), last weekend, organised a workshop for teachers.

    At the event held at Dowen College in Lekki, about 50 science teachers selected from 20 schools in Lagos were engaged by SPE facilitators, who equipped the participants with cutting-edge curriculum about energy education and economy of oil production.

    According to the organisers, the workshop with the theme: “Energy4me” was designed with the objective to give science teachers intensive training in energy education to enable them transmit the same knowledge to pupils, who have interest in green energy and oil exploration technology.

    SPE Lagos Section chairman, Ernest Mkpasi, said the training was necessary, given the importance of energy in daily human activities. He said the workshop was part of the global campaign by SPE international to drive modern concepts in energy education.

    He said: “Our targets are young people, who may want to take career in the energy sector. We have adopted a novel approach by bringing teachers together in this training and equipping them with workable curriculum in energy concept. We believe the teachers would return to their respective schools and equip pupils with this modern knowledge. We believe the extent of using energy is a reflection of the level of development of any country.”

    In addition to the training, Mkpasi said SPE had established students’ chapters across tertiary institutions with the aim of exposing the student members to soft skills that would prepare them for managerial capacity. He added that the Society also initiated Students’ Technical Conference to discuss topical issues in energy sector.

    Mkpasi said the workshop would bridge students’ knowledge gap in theory and practice, adding: “This training is a way of giving back to the society. We need to boost students’ interest in energy to develop the sector using latest technology and concept.”

    The training was divided into eight modules. Some of the participants hailed the Society for workshop, promising to disseminate all they learnt to their pupils.

     

  • Pilots, engineers, shun NLC, back govt on fuel price hike

    Pilots, engineers, shun NLC, back govt on fuel price hike

    Pilots and Aircraft engineers will not be part of the strike being called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the new fuel price, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) said yesterday.

    The two trade unions are threatening to launch a strike on Wednesday if government refuses to reverse the new price modulation.

    But NAAPE said yesterday that its members won’t be part of the showdown and advised air travelers to go ahead with their travel plans.

    “As far as we are concerned, Nigerians should go ahead with their travel plans. The truth is that the industry itself is already being affected by the current challenges in the country and any move to shut down the aviation sector will lead to a total collapse of the sector,” NAAPE President, Isaac Balami, said.

    The association expressed support for the federal government’s resolve to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry and welcomes the policy as a step in the right direction.

    It said although it was long overdue, it was better late than never.

    National President, Isaac Balami, who spoke for the association dismissed the subsidy scheme as extremely fraud-prone, adding that trying to reform the process was like “attempting to reform Satan (devil) – an impossibility task”.

    He asked the government to “use the money that will be saved to put in place infrastructures that will create jobs for Nigerians; ensuring that our refineries are working optimally, and encouraging local production to ameliorate the temporary hardship the citizen are going through.”

    He called for the local refining of aviation fuel, popularly called Jet A1 to help reduce the costs of operation and flight tickets, since fuel alone constitutes about 30 to 40 per cent of operational cost.

    Besides, he said government should look into the establishment of a national carrier as promised or strengthen the local domestic carriers as soon as possible, as the industry was currently at a standstill.

    “We need more jobs to be created for our pilots and engineers, while reiterating our unalloyed support for this novel and bold decision the federal government has taken to secure the future of Nigeria,” he said.

  • Synagogue engineers sent back to prison

    Synagogue engineers sent back to prison

    THE two engineers being tried for the collapsed Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) guest house in which 116 persons died are to remain in prison, pending the May 3 ruling on their bail applications.

    Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Ikeja High Court sent Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun back to Kirikiri Prisons yesterday when he reserved ruling on the case.

    Mrs Titi Akinlawon (SAN), counsel to Fatiregun, in her client’s April 19 application brought pursuant to Section 115 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, argued that the offences were bailable.

    “He has been charged before for the same offences at the magistrates’ court and did not jump bail. So if granted bail now, he will also not jump bail,” she argued.

    Ogundeji’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo told the court that “granting my client bail will put him in the best position to prepare for his trial.”

    But the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mrs Idowu Alakija, urged the court not to grant the applications.

    She argued that though the court has discretion on bail, “the 4th defendant (Ogundeji) does not have an address within the jurisdiction of the court and therefore may jump bail if granted.”

  • Highway Engineers, AG-Dangote partner on concrete road

    Highway Engineers, AG-Dangote partner on concrete road

    • AG Dangote completes 23km concrete road

    The Executive team of the Nigerian Institution of Highway Engineers has lauded the Management of AG Dangote for the use of cement to construct 23 kilometers road from Itori to Ibeshe in Ogun State, offering to partner with the company to better enhance its operations.

    Commenting on the use of concrete road for the country, the chairman of the institution who led the delegation for the industrial visits, Eng. Isa Usman Emoabino, said: “Definitely, this will not be a new thing for Nigeria. AG Dangote is veering out into another area that is not very common in Nigeria and if they work together with professionals like us, we will make sure that we are able to get the best out of that. That is our main reason for coming here today; we tagged our visit here today to be industrial visits, and all through the things we have seen, we try to give free consultancy, in order to ensure that whatever we have seen can be made better.”

    The Chief Executive of AG-Dangote, Ashif Juma thanked the professional engineers for coming and importantly for offering to partner with the company.

    He said the 23 kilometers concrete road is a corporate social responsibility efforts of the company, to show that concrete roads are better in all ramifications than the asphalt roads.

  • Engineers to Fed Govt: look beyond oil

    Engineers to Fed Govt: look beyond oil

    In the light of the unstable crude oil price, the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE) has appealed to the Federal Government to concentrate on other sectors of the economy.

    The group made the call at the NSChE’s first Public Lecture and the International Chemical Engineers (IChemE), United Kingdom, held at the University of Lagos, Akoka.

    Speaking with reporters after the event, the association’s International Affairs Committee Chairman, Dr. John Erinne said the challenges confronting the nation was worrisome and required professional bodies to proffer solutions.

    “We are talking about the challenges Nigeria is facing as regards the dwindling oil prices and oil returns and what value chemical engineers can provide to help Nigeria get out of this.

    “There is no quick fix. The dwindling oil returns could be a blessing to this country as this will spur us decisively to move in the area of diversifying and reducing the reliance on oil as a source of revenue.

    “Chemical engineering is not all about oil and gas. It is a broad profession in any area that involves transformation and processing of materials from one form to the other.

    “We are all for the diversification of the economy and chemical engineers are at the forefront. We have a lot of skills to contribute towards improving agriculture and agricultural produce and solid minerals.

    “We are very strongly committed to a Nigeria beyond oil and we are strongly urging the government to do all that is necessary to promote other sectors of the economy as well as stop the sole reliance on oil and gas,” erinwe said.

    At the seminar were UNILAG Vice Chancellor,  Prof. Rahman Bello, Head, Department of Chemical Engineering,  Prof. A.O. Denloye; the association’s deputy National President,  Prof. Sam Adefila and guest lecturer, Neil Atkinson.

    Atkinson, in his remarks said the importance of chemical engineers cannot be undermined especially when it comes to creating technical solutions for the society.

    He said: “There are lots of major needs that we all need to address in terms of sustainable energy, water and food, which are all interconnected.

    “The message is that chemical engineers need to develop and create solutions as technical people for the benefit of the society.

    “Solutions like carbon capture and encouraging the move of bringing in new technologies like harnessing the power of sunlight to interact with energy to make fuels.

    “We can’t step away from oil because hydrocarbons will remain a major player in the energy mix for the foreseeable future and we need technologies to transition from hydrocarbons overtime but that will take an enormous investment.”

  • Synagogue trustees, engineers trial begins

    Synagogue trustees, engineers trial begins

    The trustees of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) will today be arraigned before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over the collapse of a six-story building in the church on September 12, last year which led to the death of 116 persons.

    Senior Pastor of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua is one of the trustees.

    The trustees will be arraigned before Justice Lawal Akapo alongside the engineers that constructed the collapsed building.

    A statement by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Bola Akingbade confirmed it.

    It would be recalled that Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos had dismissed the fundamental human rights enforcement suits filed by the engineers who constructed the collapsed six-storey building to stop their planned trial.

    The engineers – Mr Oladele Ogundeji and Mr Akinbela Fatiregun, had filed two separate suits before Justice Buba seeking an order restraining the police from inviting, arresting or prosecuting them over the victims’ death.

    The Lagos State Government, had set up a Coroner Inquest to unravel what went wrong, and via a verdict delivered on August 7 by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, the Coroner had indicted the engineers and recommended them for investigation and prosecution for criminal negligence.

    The engineers had filed the suits following the Coroner’s verdict, which attributed the building collapse to structural defect.

    But Justice Buba, in his ruling on the defendants’ preliminary objection, held that the engineers “had not made out a case of infringement on their fundamental rights even on the merit of the application,” and dismissed their applications.