Engineers explore perspectives on flooding in Nigeria

The call was made by the chairman of the Abuja Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Emeka P. Ozioko, at the 2013 Engr. Charles A. Mbanefo Distiguished Lecture held recently at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Center, Abuja.He said the theme of this year’s lecture: “The Environmental Impact of Flooding in Nigeria, the […]

The call was made by the chairman of the Abuja Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Emeka P. Ozioko, at the 2013 Engr. Charles A. Mbanefo Distiguished Lecture held recently at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Center, Abuja.
He said the theme of this year’s lecture: “The Environmental Impact of Flooding in Nigeria, the Engineering Perspective” was inspired by the aftermath of the 2012 flooding in Nigeria which left in its trail a tragic impact and conviction that engineers have a central role to play in preventing it.
Engr. Ozioko said that according to NEMA, N2.6 trillion was lost in 23 states of Nigeria, 5,970 houses submerged in 256 LGAs, 2.1 million persons displaced with 363 people dead and 7 million people affected directly or indirectly across Nigeria.
He said that NIMET’s seasonal rainfall prediction early this year is gloomy and serious and affords us time to prepare, thus reinforcing the choice of the theme and calls for urgent and preventive measures from everyone.
The NSE Abuja Branch Chairman said the branch instituted the distinguished lecture series as an important annual event of its calendar six years ago and was renamed in honour of  Engr. Charles A. Mbanefo, a foremost Nigerian engineer in recognition of his immense contribution to engineering practise in Abuja.
He said Engr. Charles A. Mbanefo was not only one of the founding members of the branch but also the first branch chairman and the first member of Abuja Branch to become President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).