Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on Nigerian engineers to play a more prominent role in shaping national planning and budgeting, insisting that the precision, structure, and alignment fundamental to engineering are equally indispensable in governance.
Speaking at the 2025 Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture in Abuja on Wednesday, Shettima emphasised that national budgets must be designed with the same disciplined logic that governs engineering practice.
“Our national challenges are not due to a lack of knowledge, but from the failure to apply these principles with discipline and clarity.
“The true measure of any thriving civilisation lies in its respect for numbers, for data, for geometry, and for the guiding principles of mathematics.”
He added that budgeting should be seen as an engineering exercise where every figure must make sense and every decision must serve a strategic purpose.
The event attracted a high-profile audience, including the Ministers of State for Health and Social Welfare, Adekunle Salako; Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; former governors Olusegun Mimiko and Idris Wada; industry leaders; traditional rulers; and leaders of engineering bodies.
Shettima praised the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers for choosing a timely theme: ‘The Imperative of Engineering Strategies for the Planning of National Budget’.
“In the public policy space, we see firsthand how the strategies used by engineers to produce precise outcomes can be applied to governance.
“Where we invest thoughtlessly, the consequences are felt across generations. But where we apply intelligence and strategy, the benefits multiply.”
He urged greater collaboration between engineers and policymakers to ensure that government investments align with measurable, long-term national objectives.
“A nation that hopes to rise must learn to plan like an engineer. That is how we build the Nigeria of our dreams,” he added.
Delivering the 15th Distinguished Lecture, former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, urged engineers to become active participants in transforming the 2025 budget from vision to tangible results.
“The budget is like a vehicle with a powerful engine but no wheels. We simply won’t go anywhere unless we develop innovative implementation strategies rooted in engineering solutions,” Omisore warned.
He stressed that despite Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest economy, over half the population lives on less than N1,500 a day, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has lagged behind its true potential.
“We need to examine what role mechanical engineers can play in enhancing industrial productivity and supporting government efforts to expand economic opportunities,” he said.
Omisore identified youth unemployment, underemployment, and poor infrastructure as pressing challenges, calling on engineers to support micro, small, and medium enterprises and adopt solutions in renewable energy, robotics, automation, and local manufacturing.
He underscored the need for energy diversification, urging engineers to drive solar and gas-based power systems, improve transportation infrastructure, and produce essential spare parts locally.
He also called for local innovation in healthcare technology and a renewed focus on human capital development.
Referring to the 2025 budget’s reliance on oil, non-oil taxes, and external loans, he said, “The mechanical engineer must develop strategies to transform these resources into productive assets.
“Nigeria has the potential for sustainable development, but we must rise to meet our responsibilities.”
He also urged the government to return the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to its original mandate of fund distribution rather than project execution, stating that its current direction was “detrimental to the growth of the engineering sector.”
Former Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, in a goodwill message, backed the call for greater local participation in national development.
Arguing that the time had come to reverse the trend of awarding over 90 percent of the nation’s infrastructure projects to foreign firms, Mimiko described engineering as “The very soul of education and the heartbeat of national development.”
“I see very little evidence of Nigerian engineering involvement in these critical projects, even though we’ve been producing engineers in this country for over five decades.
“This is why the launch of the ‘Nigeria First’ project by the Federal government is so significant. For the first time, it places road construction squarely in the hands of Nigerians. And that, to me, is a powerful statement.”
Mimiko praised the new policy initiative as a remarkable development, describing it as a “Profound ideological shift, carefully conceived, thoughtfully articulated, and, hopefully, sincerely committed to.”
Other speakers at the event also called on mechanical engineers to take a more active role in the government’s budgeting process, emphasizing the need to bring their technical expertise and problem-solving experience to bear in shaping national development priorities.
The highlight of the event was the conferment of honours on Vice President Shettima, Senator Omisore, and former Osun State Governor and APC founding chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, in recognition of their contributions to national development.
