Engineers chart indigenisation course in Abuja

The one-day workshop which harped on development of individual entrepreneurial skill brought together around 500 local engineers.The aim is to give Nigerian engineers entrepreneurial/managerial skill for starting, owning, sustaining and expanding small engineering businesses.The theme of the day was Engineering Entrepreneurship and Nigerian Content Development.In a welcome address, the chairman Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) […]

The one-day workshop which harped on development of individual entrepreneurial skill brought together around 500 local engineers.
The aim is to give Nigerian engineers entrepreneurial/managerial skill for starting, owning, sustaining and expanding small engineering businesses.
The theme of the day was Engineering Entrepreneurship and Nigerian Content Development.
In a welcome address, the chairman Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Nigeria Content Committee, Mr Chris Okoye, said “Until we begin to make our most important capital goods here, the programme of improving Nigerian Content in any industry will be infinitely difficult. We have a long and thorny road ahead of us. It’s not just a matter of ownership of business enterprises. It’s more a matter of indigenisation of science and engineering upon which the multiplier effect throughout the economy will depend.”
In his opening remark, the president of NSE, Mr Mustapha Shehu represented by the NSE vice president, Mr Otis Ajayi lamented that Nigerian engineers have been losing opportunities.
He said, “We need to be shaken up to exploit the opportunities that abound in the country.
“We were caught napping while power sector was privatized. Such a mistake should not repeat. There’re other opportunities. We shouldn’t be found missing again!”
The Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Mr Oluwole Oluye in a keynote address lamented that Nigeria over the years has lost huge money in capital flight pointing out that the country lost $78 billion in technical services done in Europe.
But with the coming of the Local Content Act 2011, he said Nigeria has saved $20 billion in fabrication, $14 billion in technical services, $20 billion in engineering and $7 billion in research and development.
The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Mr Ernest Nwapa who presented the second keynote address said Nigeria lost $380 billion in capital flight in 30 years.
He said this has led to loss of investment, local yards and 10 million jobs.
“We don’t have Nigerian crude oil tankers. Efforts to produce gas cylinders in Ibadan failed,” he recalled.
He suggested that foreign engineers coming into Nigeria should first register with COREN as a way of checking situations where jobs that local engineers can do are given to expatriates.
Two engineering firms won the 2013 Special Achievement Award. They are National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) for its contribution to engineering training in Nigeria and Otis Engineering for its local manpower recruitment and commitment to local content drive.
Present at the event was chairman, House Local Content Committee, Asita Honourable. Dangote Group also sent a representative.
In a communiqué, the engineers urged government to support local initiatives in fabrication especially in the agricultural sector to stem capital flight.