THE ENGINEER

You can reach usonmedia@nseng.orgfor your contributions.THE ENGINEER( Official e– newsletter of The Nigerian Society of Engineers)Vol. 4. Issue 43Friday 2nd March , 2012Engr. Mustapha Shehu (R) with Engr. Olayinka Abdul atAPWEN Inauguration.NSE wants more women in EngineeringAs Olayinka becomes president of APWENThe Nigerian Society of Engineers has called on the Association ofprofessional women engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) to intensify campaignat the secondary school levels for more girls to take to sciencesand engineering saying less than 15 percent of students of engineeringin Nigerian were women.Speaking at the inauguration of the new President of APWEN, Engr.Shehu observed that APWEN needed to do more in their programmesin that direction adding that the Nigerian society of Engineers at thenational level will continue to support them.“Available statistics show that the percentage of female graduate studentsin engineering is low. The workforce remains as the area ofhighest under representation for women.However, data available reveals that more women are becoming in-Engr. Shehu CommissionsOwerri EngineeringcentreVisits IwuanyanwuThe President of NigerianSociety of Engineers, Engr.Mustafa Shehu has commissionedthe Meeting Hall ofthe Owerri Branch EngineeringCentre. Located at theAladinma Hospital Road,Owerri, the centre whencompleted will be a hub forall activities of the branchranging from training toother professional activities.The Hall was named after afounding member of the

terested in the Engineering profession,although only 15 percentof University engineeringstudents are female worldwide.In Nigeria, it is even lower.Therefore, we need to do moreto bring awareness among ourfemale students about the importanceof pursuing a professionin engineering because Iknow women make the differencein any profession and areusually among the best.” Hesaid.The President said the NigerianSociety of Engineers, as a memberof the World Federation ofEngineering Organizations(WFEO), created the Women inEngineering Committee in linewith its policy of encouraging,improving and retaining ofwomen in engineering practice.The Committee’s mission, he observed,is to provide advice andrecommendations to the Presidentand Council on matters relatingto the participation ofwomen in the engineering field,with the goal of attracting andretaining more women in theprofession, achieving equity anddiversity in the profession. Thecommittee works with APWEN tooversee the implementation ofWomen in Engineering policiesand strategies, and supports thedevelopment of tools and activitiesthat improve public image,visibility, and understanding ofengineering.”In her inaugural address, theNew President of the Associationof Professional women engineers,Engr. Olayinka Abdul saidher tenure will focus on trainingand retraining of practicingwomen engineers and encouragingthem to venture into engineeringenterprise.She said she will also push forrestructuring of the engineeringcurriculum to realise the aim ofgetting more women to take toengineering.“We have carried out surveysand discovered to our amazementthat our academic curriculumin tertiary schools needsserious and urgent attention, ifour goal of encouraging youngengineering graduates particularlyamongst the female in engineeringeducation is going tobe realised. To achieve this wewill push for a restructuring ofthe school curriculum” she said.Engr. Olayinka said APWEN willbuild an enduring synergy betweenschools and the professionalworld by working closelywith educational regulatory authoritiesat local, state and federallevels.Outgoing President of APWEN,Engr. Ini Usoro in her valedictoryspeech said, under her, the associationhad organised career talksin primary and secondary schoolsacross the federation to increaseawareness and encourage girls tolove mathematics, study scienceand engineering and had participatedas role models and mentorsat engineering weeks of some tertiaryinstitutions.branch, Engr. Umez-Eronini.The President of the Nigeriansociety of Engineersalso paid a visit to Engr.Emmanuel Iwuanyanwuwhere the society officiallycommiserated with him onthe death of his wife andprayed for the repose ofher soul.Engr. Shehu complained toChief Iwuanyanwu, who isa frontline politician, of therelationship between governmentand engineerswhere many governmentpolicies were initiated withoutthe input of engineerseven when the policy is entirelyengineering based.He said the lack of synergybetween government andthe Nigerian Society of Engineersat both the stateand federal level was dishearteningand called onthe politician to use his positionto address the issue.Engr. Shehu pointed outthat many developed countrieshad done so using thetalent available in the countryand building the capacityfor their own peopleunlike the Nigerian systemwhere the reverse is thecase especially in engineeringinfrastructure development.He said the society havebeen engaging government

in a pragmatic manner tocorrect this anomaly butseemed not to be makingmuch progress.Responding, Engr. Iwuanyanwusaid part of the reasonswhy he joined politicswas to give voice to professionalsin the running ofgovernment and called onengineers not only to speakout but to join politics ifthey must protect their profession.He however promised thathe would continue to workwith government to ensurethat engineers were giventheir rightful place in thescheme of things. He urgedthe society to continue itsadvocacy to government atall levels.Engr. Ali ,(l) IPP with Engr. Rabiu, VP, Corporate Resources and MediaOur work should speak for engineersThe President of the NigerianSociety of Engineers, Engr.Mustafa Balarabe Shehu hasstated that Nigerian Engineersmust use their workand their credibility to engagethe government and the societyif they wished to make an impact.He was speaking in Owerri at theInduction of new members of thebranch and the commissioning of theOwerri Engineering Centre.“You must be conscious that as engineersthat it is our work, our credibilitythat speaks for us. We mustdeliver our job with credibility” Engr.Shehu said.From left, Engr. Uche, Engr. Shehu, Engr. Iwuanyanwu and Engr. Amshiduring the visit to Chief IwuanyanwuDescribing the visit as his first officialassignment outside Abuja after hisinauguration earlier in February, theNSE President said he was happythat Owerri was where he got themandate to lead Nigerian engineersas he had won election as DeputyPresident as at the 2009 NationalConference in Owerri.He called on all engineers in the

country to assist him throughtheir support, “guidance andcriticism”, to enable him makehis mark as the President ofthe society.Engr. Shehu expressed delightthat the Owerri branch hasbuilt its own structure to alevel where they can deploy itfor their meetings and professionaldevelopment trainingadding that this will save itfunds, which it would have expendedon venues and rentingof other facilities. This had becomevery important as thepresident said he expected thebranch to liaise with the EngineeringPractice and ResourceC e n t r e(EPRC)to holdits owntrainingin Owerriandto orga n i z eo t h e rbranch’straininga n dcontinuingeducation programmes.“The Centre will also help to createa pool of resources and databasefor engineering skills, capacityavailability for national statisticsand job placement. NSE undermy leadership will give full supportto this Centre and I thereforecall on all members of the Owerribranch to team up with us toachieve this noble objective whichis aimed at continuous professionaldevelopment of our membersthrough capacity building andimprovement of skills of the NigerianEngineering personnel.” Hesaid.Speaking earlier, the outgoingChairman of the branch, Engr.Remy Uche expressed pleasurethat he had the privilege of hostingthe president as the firstbranch to do so shortly after hisinauguration. He assured thepresident of the support of themembers of the branch to his administration.Engr. Shehu cuts the tapeHe said the branch decided to improvethe Engineering centreto a level where all itsmonthly meetings and otheractivities would be heldthere to save the branchmoney from renting halls inhotels and other venues.According to him, whencompleted the branch willbe a multipurpose trainingand research centre formembers and the engineeringcommunity in the state.EDITOR:Ikenna Emeka OkpaniPublished by Media and PublicationsDepartment,Nigerian Society of EngineersMedia@nseng.org . Branch and DivisionalChairmen should contact us ontheir activities for publication in thenewsletter