Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State at the weekend praised Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi and his Oyo counterpart Seyi Makinde as those who made Engineers in Politics proud and urged members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Awka branch, to emulate them.
Obiano who addressed a special session of the society’s monthly general meeting and technical lecture at Awka with the theme: “Engineers and Politics: the way forward” said that with knowledgeable professionals Engineers will make the nation industrialize, attain rapid economic growth and sustainable development.
He said the state and Nigeria’s socio-economic transformation and prosperity depend on mass industrialization, more so with Nigerian Engineers at the driving seat, insisting that sustainable development would remain a mirage if Nigerian Engineers continue to stay away from partisan politics.
The governor noted that China as a country, massively became a major player in global politics and development today because Chinese leaders had their backgrounds deeply rooted in Engineering, and that the Chinese Gross Domestic Products (GDP) continues to grow because the people at the corridors of power in China are Engineers.
The governor who was represented by his Special Adviser on Digital and Creative Economy, Engr. Ifeanyi Aniagoh, said “By the profession training and re-training, Engineers are to proffer solutions to problems confronting humanity and this will lead to developing infrastructure on a larger scale to solve multiple problems in the society and by this, the country is driven to development.
“Even though Engineers keep away from politics because Engineering Principles don’t work with Politics, however, putting the over-riding interest of the end-users in focus is paramount for socio-economic transformation of the country.
“The challenges of power supply, cybercrimes, environmental pollution, Climate Change and other infrastructural problems could be addressed frontally only if Nigerian Engineers offer themselves for elective offices in their various wards, Local Government and State levels.
For the governor, Engineers are goal getters and result-oriented and if the future of Nigeria is industrialization, it is incumbent upon Engineers to take the front seats in leadership positions across the country.
” Industrialization is about Engineers and Engineering. As Engineers, you need political power to execute beautiful ideas in your various Council Areas.
“And governor Umahi and Makinde, are using their power as Engineers to execute projects and ideas that is currently transforming the lives of their people in their states, just like the infrastructural development that is ongoing in Anambra State, the operational Cargo/Passenger Airport, the ongoing Construction of International Convention Centre and Awka City Stadium.
“So we need qualified and registered Engineers to join the incoming administration of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, because Engineers are going to get it right in fixing the state to International standard”.
He advised the younger generation of Engineers to be patient and demonstrate commitment to service and display high sense of integrity in the service to Ndi-Anambra and the country at large.
He advised them to identify themself with political parties and their communities politics for fast grow.
He also advised the NSE executive to always engaged members on leadership training and retraining to inculcate them with the system.
In his remarks, the branch Chairman of Awka NSE, Engr. Odinaka Okonkwo, while commending Governor Obiano, for his administration’s relentless efforts in delivering dividends of democracy to the people of the state, also called on the incoming governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to sustain the momentum and accelerate the pace of good governance in Anambra State.
He equally appealed to Prof. Soludo, to retain NSE member as Commissioner for Works in his administration.
