Varsity Don Tasks Engineers on Nation Building

Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta
A senior lecturer at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Dr. Wale Oduwole has called on engineers in the country to revisit and adopt a new mission to contribute to the building of a more sustainable Nigeria.

He said with the myriad of ‎problems facing the world today and problems expected to rise in the future, the engineering profession must adopt a new mission statement as a way of ensuring a stable and equitable Nigeria.

Oduwole who was a guest lecturer at the Annex Campus of the institution in Ibogun, said in the next two decades, almost 50 million additional people are expected to populate the country, saying the growth would create unprecedented demand for energy, food, land, water, telecommunications, transportation, materials‎ and infrastructure.

In his lecture titled, ‘Engineering Professional Practice in Development Economy: The Nigerian Experience’, he affirmed that their role would be critical in fulfilling those demands at various scales, ranging from remote small communities ‎to large urban areas (mega cities) mostly in the urban centres.

“If engineers are not ready to fulfil such demand who will? The emergence of large urban areas is likely to affect the future prosperity and stability of the entire country”, he added.
He said engineers have collective responsibility to improve the lives of people around the world, stating that Nigeria is becoming a place in which human population is becoming more crowded.

He, therefore, identified three methods the engineers must embark upon, saying they must embark on a worldwide transition to a more holistic approach as the world entered the twenty-first century.

He said there must be a major paradigm shift from control of nature to participation with nature; an awareness of ecosystems, ecosystems services and the preservation and restoration of natural capital.

He added that there must be a new mindset of mutual enhancement of nature and humans that embraces the principles of sustainable development, renewable resources management, appropriate technology and natural capitalism.
“Engineers of the future must be trained to make intelligent decisions that protect and enhance the quality of life on earth rather than endangering it.”