Nigerian Society of Engineers has signed an MoA with Lonadek Nigeria to strengthen mentorship and entrepreneurship among Nigerian engineers.
The signing took place at NSE Headquarters in Lagos, with the 34th and first woman President, Margaret Oguntala, and Principal Consultant of Lonadek, Dr. Ibilola Amao, in attendance, among others.
In a statement by Lonadek, the collaboration focuses on identifying and nurturing talent, equipping them with skills and confidence to drive innovation, create jobs, and contribute to national growth.
“With over 60,000 registered engineers in 77 branches, NSE continues to champion growth and excellence in the profession. This partnership will close the skill gap and prepare young engineers for leadership in relevant sectors,” it read.
Oguntala noted that “this partnership is a step to upskill Nigerian engineers through continuous professional development and mentorship.
The future of engineering lies in our young professionals, and together, we will equip them to lead with competence, innovation, and integrity.”
Dr. Ibilola Amao added that: “Every engineer must align their passion and talent with a niche where they can create the most value. Through this partnership, we will guide them to discover and develop those strengths. At Lonadek, we believe in the five Es of development: Education, Enlightenment, Empowerment, Engagement, and Entrepreneurship.”
The MoA will leverage NSE’s CPD framework and Lonadek’s expertise to create structured programs that align education with industry needs, building a new generation of globally competitive, innovation-driven engineers.
Picture caption: From Left to Right: President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Margaret Oguntala and Principal Consultant, Lonadek Nigeria Ltd., Dr. Engr. Ibilola Amao
Ikeja branch of Nigerian Society of Engineers has inaugurated its 16th Chairman, Nimot Muili, making her the third woman to hold the position and solidifying her role after serving in an acting capacity since August 2024.With the theme: “Innovation for Tomorrow: Connecting Resilient Infrastructure with the Blue Economy to Achieve a Lagos Smart City,” the event drew stakeholders from engineering, academia, finance, and government
Outgoing Chair, John Adedotun, in his address, reflected on his three-year tenure. “Whatever has a beginning must have an end,” he said, leading the audience in a song of thanksgiving.
He highlighted key achievements, including a 35 per cent increase in membership, hosting of technical events, and implementation of 10-year NSE Ikeja Master Plan. “Our administration established the Boss Car Contribution Scheme, undertook international technical tours to Europe, and intensified capacity building for young engineers,” he said.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you keep moving,” Adedotun advised the new executives.
Muili, who had been serving in an acting, said:“This position is a reflection of how far we’ve come and a commitment to building an engineering culture that contributes meaningfully to growth.”
she said in her inaugural address.
Visibly moved, Muili paid tribute to her predecessors, particularly the sixth and fourteenth chairmen, for their mentorship and foundational work. “Thank you for the support and for being present today. Your presence means the world,” she added.
In her opening address, the National President of the NSE and Chairman in council, Engr. Mrs. Margaret Aina Oguntala, described the event as a landmark in the Society’s history. “I warmly congratulate Engr. Muili and the newly elected executive committee members. This inauguration marks a landmark moment and reflects the growing confidence in female leadership within the engineering profession,” she said.
She emphasized the significance of the occasion, noting that Muili becomes the third female chairman of the branch. “It’s a proud moment, not just for women, but for engineering excellence in Nigeria,” she said.
Oguntala acknowledged the contributions of dignitaries present, including Special Guest of Honour Otunba Kunle Ismail and guest speaker Dr. George Thorpe, as well as her own “woman battalion,” singling out Vice President Engr. Dr. Felicia Kineni for her passion and potential to rise further.
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Commending the event’s theme, Oguntala noted that Lagos’ transition to a smart city requires bold innovation and inclusive infrastructure planning. “Mentorship is key. We must nurture the next generation of engineers with vision and purpose,” she said.
She urged the new executives to embrace the NSE Strategic Agenda, which includes STEM education, community-based engineering, and collaboration with traditional leaders.
She also called attention to low membership dues compliance, stressing that only financially up-to-date members would be listed in the upcoming NSE directory.
Oguntala concluded by inviting members to the NSE International Conference in December, themed “Engineering Innovation for a Sustainable Blue Economy.” “This conference remains the largest engineering gathering in sub-Saharan Africa,” she stated.
A highlight of the day was a presentation by systems thinker Dr. George Thorpe, who unveiled findings from a recent stakeholder survey exploring Lagos’ path toward smart city status.
Drawing from 20 expert responses, the survey identified five key priorities including data-driven infrastructure, integrated transportation systems, innovation and entrepreneurship, smart energy solutions and collaborative governance.
“Transportation emerged as the most urgent issue. With such a massive population, we can’t afford to ignore its foundational role in economic productivity,” said Thorpe.
Conversely, the survey flagged gaps in smart governance, tech-enabled public administration, and waste management. “Every city must recognize its operational limits. For Lagos to thrive, we must channel our skills and sectors toward one unified goal,” he added.
The full report will be circulated in coming weeks as a roadmap for future action.
The ceremony was graced by an array of dignitaries including Gbobaniyi of Wasimi, Otunba Kunle Ismail; former Special Adviser on Infrastructure to the Lagos State Governor, Engr. Aramide Adeoye; Chairman of Ove Arup & Partners Nigeria Limited, Engr. Kunle Adebajo; Executive Director of Marine Operations at the Nigerian Ports Authority, Engr. Abdul-Rahman Badmus; and Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Ibraheem Adedotun Abdul.
NSE Ikeja branch was initiated by the former secretary general of NSE, Engr, Olu Awoyinfa, and the formation came into reality in July 1992.
The event was not only a celebration of leadership but also a rallying call for innovation, sustainability, and strategic engineering solutions to power Lagos into the future.
As one participant aptly stated, “Without a clear smart city vision, infrastructure becomes an imposition, not an enabler. But now, with input from engineers and thought leaders, we’re beginning to see the shape of the future Lagos.”
The ceremony was held at the Secretariat of the branch at the premises of the University of Lagos.
Speaking on the theme: “AI Revolution in Engineering: Entrepreneurship And Nation Building,” the guest speaker, Dideolu Falobi, an engineer, described Artificial Intelligence as turning machine into human being, adding that it is a system of telling the machine to perform human work.
The guest speaker advised the graduates to take time out to learn AI and ensure its rightful deployment.
“AI is now being deployed in virtually every industry, so, for every young engineer coming out of school, its incomplete if you are not conversant with the basics of AI and how to deploy it in whatever function,” he said.
The MD of Crestal Laurel Engineering firm noted that AI is being deployed in engineering, construction, and management, adding that the ultimate objective of the AI is to get to a point where they function as human beings.
“Every new innovation, new technology offers new door of opportunity. AI is the most revolutionary. So, there’s nothing like losing your job but there would be new opportunities,” he said.
Chairman of the branch, Olukorede Kesha, who said that during their time there was no such thing as technology, frowned at many young graduates who spend about 18 hours out of 24 hours to do negative things.
She advised them to channel those time or efforts into doing constructive things, saying that someone used such time to invent AI.
“They can take advantage of this in the area of infrastructure. If care is not taken, AIcould replace humans.”
“I am not an advocate of it, but you can’t stop a moving train.
It’s either you jump into it or you are left behind. So, we advise them to jump into the moving train.
“We need this generation to take us to the next level because the world is not waiting for us, and Nigeria can’t afford to lag behind. They should channel their efforts into technology in the right direction,” she said.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for its exemplary role in the advocacy of science and engineering-based education for the girl child through support for the activities of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN).
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Adekunle Mokuolu, stated this yesterday in Abuja while receiving NNPC’s management led by the corporation’s Group Managing Director, Engr. Maikanti Baru, to the Headquarters of the society.
The NSE president said by identifying with APWEN in its quest to engender a sound foundation for female engineering professionals in the country, the corporation was taking a step that would invariably illuminate the nation’s engineering and technological landscape a few years from now.
The Federal Government has been called upon to declare a state of emergency in the manufacturing sector of the nation’s economy as a matter of urgency. Delivering a 25th anniversary and 2nd distinguished lecture of Ilesa Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Managing Director of the Kresta Laurel Limited, Engr. Dideolu Falobi, said it was imperative for the FG to act fast and save the nation from impending economic doom. Falobi said the call for state of emergency to be declared in the industrial sector is necessary because there are factual evidences to show that more than half of the 500,000 graduates being produced annually by the nation’s various tertiary institutions are unemployed. He said it is uncomplimentary that manufacturing sector contributes only 15.62 percent of the nation’s GDP in spite of its almost 200 million population in which he noted that “54.32 percent of this population is between the ages of 15 and 64 unlike Singapore with similar GDP but a mere 6 million.” Putting the the literacy level in Nigeria at 59.6 percent, the engineer lamented that there are a huge population of unskilled workers to be engaged by the manufacturing sector and also another huge population of skilled workers that are unemployed. Apart from declaring a state of emergency in the manufacturing sector, he said a number of industrial bills must be sponsored at the National Assembly to move Nigeria out of the woods in certain sectors needing urgent intervention. According to the guest lecturer, there are many benefits of industrialization for the engineers and others, which he said include employment generation directly through construction of industries, indirect employment through auxiliary services during construction activities, increased utilization of lands, increased tax revenue for the government among others. He said: “The topic of this lecture is one that I consider most timely and very relevant in the light of our national challenges today. The country is reeling from all sorts of maladies, the most dangerous and saddening of it all being the descent of our youths into the abyss of moral decadence characterized by drug abuse, Tramadol popping, codeine sipping, 419, Yahoo-Yahoo, Yahoo Plus, area-boyish and all other crimes. It is scary fro me to watch the future generations of our beloved nation in self-destruct mode. “Let me categorize the youths affected into two. The first group are those who, for whatever reasons, were not educated or dropped out of school at an early age. Unfortunately, they also refused to learn any trade or craft. Most of them are now in their late teens, early to late twenties, I am sure that should we take a peep outside the gate of this hall, we will find them waiting for us to come out to collect handouts which as soon as they get it will vamoose in a hail of smoke of Indian Hemp and so on. “This category is neither employed nor employable. Some of them who learned one trade or craft have forgotten about it and their routine is to scavenge social functions from Thursday to Saturday (their peak period) looking for dole outs from celebrants and politicians who also use them as canons folder during political battles. “The second category consists of some of the 500,000 Nigerian youths that graduate from our several tertiary institutions and are left idle because of unemployment. This group has made the advanced fee fraud in all its variants their career. Propped up by all shots of drugs and bolstered by iniquitous herbalists (most of them, fake) that abound, these young boys and girls are almost lost. These two categories of Nigerians need industrialization. Today’s lecture is timely and relevant for them and their suffering parents.”
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ilesa branch will next week organise an Engineering Week to mark its 25th anniversary in Ilesa, Osun State.
According to a statement signed by the Branch Chairman, Engr. Mojirade Oloruntoba, the week-long celebration will feature series of activities. The high-point of weeklong event will be the 2nd Distinguished Lecture and Award Ceremony scheduled for Thursday, October 18.
The lecture with the theme “Industrialisation as a Tool for National Development: Roles and Benefits for Engineers” will be delivered by Engr. Dideolu Falobi, Managing Director, Kresta Laurel Limited.
Outstanding individuals and corporate bodies that have contributed to the engineering profession among whom are Mr. Lateef Bakare, a Director with First Bank and Engr. Oluyemi Oguntominiyi, Director of Highways Construction and Rehabilitation, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing will be honoured at the event.
The Ilesa Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers was inaugurated in 1993.
…Want Govt. to invest on water infrastructures to check migration
The Nigerian Society of Engineers ( NSE) has called on governments at all levels to invest in the building of relevant multipurpose water infrastructures to check and prevent herdsmen forceful migration to areas of more favorable climate and explorable arable land.
The body explained that this is the major part of the solution to herdsmen killings in some parts of the country.
Rather than acquiring lands and spending billions of naira building ranches, the NSE said it is imperative for the federal government to recognize the fact that lack of access to water is the primary driver of migration in Nigeria.
Delivering the 2018 Ife Akintunde Annual Engineering Lecture at the Jogor Event Centre, Ibadan on Tuesday, the President, Nigeria Committee on Large Dams, Engr. Dr. Johnson Adewumi said rural urban drift can be curtailed through implementation of multipurpose water infrastructures in the country to check conflicts and bloodshed in the land .
With massive investment in manpower and building of multipurpose water infrastructure from small, medium and large dams across the country, the engineers promised that the problem of electricity in Nigeria will be a thing of the past.
According to the lecturer, Nigeria has abundant potentials to become the power house of the African continent ” but we must get our priorities right “.
The maiden annual lecture was organised by Oluyole branch of the Nigeria Society of Engineers in honour of the the former Vice President, World Federation of Engineers, and former National President (NSE), Engr. Ifedayo Akintunde.
The topic of the lecture is Building Multipurpose Water Infrastructure from Small, Medium and Large Dams in Oyo state: Roles of Academics, Industrialists, and the Government”
Adewumi , while lamenting the failure of the government t to fully utilize the abundant water resources in the country, noted that Nigeria benefits more than its neighbors from water resources of River Niger and Benue , and charged the government to begin to look inward to addressing the infrastructure needs of the country.
For instance, he said South West region has good potential of surface water rate, but water use rate is lower when compared with the North.
He added that South West is deficient in water infrastructures to meet social, agricultural and industrial needs.
“Asejire which was built in 1972 with the capacity of 32.9m3 can generate about 5.8million KWHR per year. This is sufficient to run the water dam treatment works and generate income for Oyo state government. As it is today Asejire has no record of effective multipurpose use,” he stated.
Engr. Adewumi therefore called on the Oyo state government to upgrade Asejire Dam to serve multipurpose uses such as hydro power and irrigation, adding that the dam is currently under-utilized.
Earlier , the Chairman, NSE , Oluyole branch , Engr. Ademola Agoro explained that the maiden annual was intended to chart a road map to addressing water problems and unlocking the potentials of building multipurpose water infrastructure in the state, and Nigerian .
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) President, Mr Kunle Mokuolu, has called on the Federal Government to provide proper framework that would ensure better housing delivery for Nigerians.
To achieve this, Mokuolu wants the Federal Government to create the enabling environment for private sector initiative and to engage more private sector participants in its mass housing drive. He noted that housing delivery in developed countries fared better because they are run by the private sector.
The NSE boss, who expressed reservations about government’s disposition so far to the housing sector, argued that housing should be off the hands of government, be completely privatised, while government should provide the policy and laws that would back housing delivery.
Mokuolu urged government to concern itself with social housing for those who cannot pay rent because they were either out of job or had other financial handicap. He advised that social housing should be restricted to the local government level and that when such economically disadvantaged citizens found their financial footing, they could start to pay rent or buy homes.
“Federal Government is to provide the framework to ease the delivery of housing. I am not really satisfied with the housing delivery, some things must be in place to achieve this.
“We must begin to produce our steel ourselves and that is why Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill is too important. Whatever it takes to produce steel in this country, government should just do it,” he said, adding that the steel component was important in developing high rise buildings, especially now that the nation’s population was growing geometrically. This will help to accommodate more people in less spaces or land.
He expressed confidence that Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill could “substantially” reduce the housing deficit in the country given that steel accounted for about 25 per cent of the cost of construction of houses.
The World Federation of Engineering Organisation (WEFO) and Women in Engineering (WIE), a committee of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), have trained primary school women teachers in basic computer operations in Enugu State.
The training exercise, which lasted one week, was aimed at creating an understanding among women in economic and social activities through the knowledge of information technologies.
WIE said it embarked on the training after a survey that revealed most teachers in public primary schools were not computer literate.
According to the group, the pilot training was first held in Abuja in October where it trained about 44 female primary school teachers from various public primary school within the FCT municipal.
The Enugu State commissioner for Science and Technology, Patrick Ikpenwa commended the organisers for keying into the UNs Millennium Development Goals (Goal 3) as well as training women “without real access to technology”.
“There is a limit to how and what women can contribute. More women, especially in the rural and informal sector need to use ICT to get things done in their lives.
The commissioner who was represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Prince Charles Maduekwe said: “The mobile phone is a start, but ICT goes beyond receiving and making calls on the mobile phone.
“Women must be active ICT participants, users, professional creators, producers and entrepreneurs. To make a difference, women must engage in productive ICT and ICT driven activities.”
The commissioner urged the participants to be serious in applying what they learnt in teaching in their various schools.
Also, the National President of NSE, Mr. Otis Anyaeji enjoined the participants to put into practice what they have learnt in the one-week training.
“What you have done for the past one week is just the beginning. My advice to you is not to drop the concept of what you have learnt because the moment you drop it, it will depart from you. I urge you to cultivate the habit of working with the computer every time, with that, you’ll make a lot of impact,” he said.
The president was represented by the Chairman, Board of Fellows, College of Fellows of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Chris Okoye.
The chairman of Women in Engineering committee of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mrs. Esther Gonda, an engineer, congratulated the participants and encouraged them to ensure they transfer the training to their colleagues and pupils in their schools.
“It is important that you take this training to the next level by putting into practice what you have learnt. Technology is to make your life easier. You will find that a new world has opened to you,” she said.
Gonda was represented by the Enugu State coordinator for NSE/WIE, Mrs. Nneka Nwagugu, an engineer, appealed to government, donor agencies and other stakeholders in the country to collaborate with them to actualize their dream of making all primary school teachers in the country computer literate.
In an interview with Mrs. Ugwoke Gloria, one of the teachers who was trained, said: “I have been teaching for 25 years, I have been seeing computer but I have never touched it since I was born.
“My happiness today is that I have known and touched the mouse. I thought that cursor is butterfly, but I have known how to use it”, she said.
“I don’t know what to call myself. I beat my children whenever I see them operating their phones but I never knew I was a disabled woman. I have decided to continue the computer training once I get back home,” she said.
The highpoint of the event was the award of certificates and prizes to the winners. The first got a laptop computer, the second an iPad tablet while the third went home with an Android phone.
Prof. Sani Mashi, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has called for the demolition and reconstruction of structures in Lekki, Lagos state to check annual flooding of the area.
Mashi made the call during in his paper entitled “Meteorology, flooding and the challenges before the Nigerian Engineers ’’at the 2nd Annual General Meeting/Lecture of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Giri Branch on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, flooding occurs in Nigeria in three main forms, river, urban and coastal flooding.
“However, flooding is worsened by human activities such as, rapid industrialisation, uncontrolled urbanisation, population growth, unregulated exploitation of natural resources and improper location of infrastructure,’’ he said.
Mashi stressed that Lekki experienced flooding annually with devastating effects on the lives and property of residents in the peninsula.
“What we are saying is that, Lekki has been developed; it is at the infrastructure level. When driving, you will just leave the road and drive into your house.
“ Lekki is a land belonging to the sea; by implication, Lekki is built on the sea.
“Therefore, if you are building in the sea, the starting level of the building has to be above the sea, so what needs to be done is to demolish structures in Lekki. If you can’t demolish them, then convert the ground floor to be the base level,’’ Mashi said.
According to him, if the first floor should now be the starting level for the houses,saying that when flood comes, it will stay at the lower level and will not affect the residents.
NAN reports that Lekki is a city located to the east of Lagos, adjoining to its west, Victoria Island and Ikoyi districts with the Atlantic Ocean to its south and Lagoon to the north side.
Mashi is also Nigeria’s Permanent Representative with World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said if demolition of structures in the area was not possible, residents should take pragmatic action by converting the first floor of the houses to the base level.
The NiMet boss said there wasalso need for Nigerian engineers to ensure the design and construction of flood resilient public infrastructure that could withstand the destructive effects of flooding in the country.
He also called for the strengthening of public infrastructure through stress resilient structural elements, choice of materials, and appropriate choice of technology and efficient supervision of construction.
Mashi said such method would serve as in-built protective mechanism for the vulnerable public infrastructure, because “we cannot stop flooding from happening.’’
He emphasised the need for design and construction of adequate drainage systems in both urban and rural settlements to accommodate the volume of water being generated during flooding.
“There is also need for proper maintenance of the existing drainage systems for sustainable flood control and timely repairs and reconstruction of flood- damaged public infrastructure.
“There is need for the design and fabrication of basic meteorological instruments to aid meteorological activities, especially in area of weather observation, forecasting and issuance of early warning alerts against flooding.”
He also called for design,construction and launching into orbit a home-built meteorological satellite to help track real time weather parameters and events.
He tasked Nigerian engineers to be abreast of the reality of climate change by providing and mitigating solutions in their designs, productions, fabrications and construction activities.
“Public infrastructure should be designed with the reality of climate change.
“Collaborations between relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should be encouraged to advance the practice of engineering and meteorology in Nigeria.
“For instance, NiMet and NASDA can collaborate to start preliminary discussion on the design of first meteorological satellite.Engineers from the two agencies can drive the process’’
