Use qualified engineers to avoid dilapidated structures – NSE

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has advised governments at various levels in the country to make use of qualified engineers to avoid decayed and sub-standard infrastructures.

While lamenting the dearth of excellence in sustainable engineering infrastructure in the country, they wondered why some state capital development agencies would not create or allow a desk office for engineers whose primary function is to conceptualize, design, analyze and execute projects.

Speaking on the theme “Sustainable Engineering Infrastructure For Rural Development (SEIFRD)” at Michael Okpara auditorium, Umuahia, Abia State, during the 2018 engineering week of NSE Umuahia branch, the branch Chairman, Nelson Onwuka lamented that there are lots of decay in our infrastructure as a result of government engagement of non-engineers in engineering jobs.

Onwuka said: “We found out that government spends lots of funds and at the end, we cannot showcase what we have done with it.
There are lots of reasons for this kind of failures.
There is decay in our infrastructure.

If you go round, you will find out that things are not well done.
Governments don’t allow the key players, the engineers the opportunity to showcase their skills.

“The Government is working with people who are far from engineering department to do engineering business.

In some state capital development agencies, engineers were not allowed to have a desk officer, which is the primary function of an engineer.
An engineer’s work is to conceptualize, design, analyze and execute.
When you remove the key players in that function, what you are going to see is infrastructure decay.

“Most of the projects you see in some states are not being actually conceived by licensed engineers. Everybody calls himself a contractor.
Historians, lawyers and other professionals have taken over our jobs”, he said.

Credit: Blueprint