Funmi Ogundare
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has honoured Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, with its Presidential Merit award for his administration’s investments in infrastructure, engineering education, technical training and human capital development.
The National President of the NSE, Ali Rabiu, announced the award, Thursday when he led members of the society’s National Executive Committee ( NEC) on a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House, Lafia.
He stated that the recognition followed a two-day inspection tour of major projects across the state by the NSE team, including the Mararaba twin flyovers, Diamond New Energy lithium plant in Endo, Keffi flyover, Faculty of Engineering at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Akwanga bypass and underpass, Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute and Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic.
According to him, “The inspection revealed substantial and commendable investments by the Nasarawa State Government, with engineering, technical education and human capital development serving as key drivers of economic transformation.”
He said the Mararaba and Keffi flyovers were progressing satisfactorily at about 50 per cent and 70 per cent completion respectively, with generally good construction standards.
The NSE president also described the Diamond New Energy lithium plant as an important step towards local mineral processing and value addition, noting that the facility reportedly had a processing capacity of about 6,000 tonnes daily and was expected to create more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs.
He, however, stressed the need for environmental monitoring, responsible mining practices and land reclamation around the project.
He particularly commended the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute for training about 10,000 beneficiaries in various trades.
He stated: “The quality of equipment at the institute was superior to what the NSE team had seen during its inspection of engineering faculties in 12 Nigerian universities under a separate Federal Government intervention programme.”
Rabiu also commended the Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic for securing National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) accreditation for 11 new engineering programmes, while recommending improved road access within the institution.
He identified shortages of equipment, academic staff, reliable electricity and internet connectivity at the Faculty of Engineering, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, ahead of its professional accreditation, stressing the need for the university to prioritise accreditation by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
“Such accreditation is necessary to ensure graduates are eligible to practise engineering in the country,” Rabiu said, adding that the inspection had demonstrated that the state was implementing wide-ranging interventions in infrastructure, mineral processing, engineering education and vocational training.
The president recommended that the government establish a professional development and documentation framework to systematically record, communicate and preserve information on its projects and their impact.
“We therefore recommend that the state government should establish a professional development and documentation framework to systematically record, communicate and preserve information on government projects and their impacts,” he said, assuring the governor of the NSE’s readiness to strengthen its partnership with the state through professional and technical support.
Rabiu appealed to Sule to expedite the release of the Certificate of Occupancy for land previously donated to the NSE Lafia branch and provide a vehicle to support the branch’s project supervision activities across the state.
In his response, Sule thanked the NSE for selecting Nasarawa to host its NEC meeting and for the recognition, which he said was particularly significant to him because of his engineering background.
“I have received several awards, including some that I value very, very high. But I truly value an NSE golden award. That’s an award that means a lot to me,” the governor stated.
He linked his administration’s emphasis on technical and vocational education to his personal background, recalling that he trained as a certified welding technician and CNC machinist before becoming an engineer.
He said the experience influenced his investment in the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute, with the ambition of replicating in Lafia the standard associated with the old Government Technical College, Bukuru.