By Lydia Chigozie-Ngwakwe/Florence Onuegbu
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has urged the Federal Government and other stakeholders to prioritise indigenous engineers and firms in the delivery of infrastructure projects in the country.
The Chairman of the NSE, Lagos Branch, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, made the call on Thursday at Akoka, during the society’s annual public lecture, awards and induction ceremony, with the theme: “Building Nigeria from Within”.
Kesha said that Nigeria’s development must be driven by local expertise, innovation and capacity.
She said that Nigeria’s future could not depend solely on external solutions but on the knowledge, skills, creativity and resilience of its people.
“The fate of our nation cannot depend solely on external solutions. It must be driven by the knowledge, skills, creativity and resilience of Nigerian engineers,” Kesha said.
According to her, engineers have a critical responsibility to conceptualise, design and deliver infrastructure that is safe, sustainable and suited to local realities.
She said that the society would continue to promote high professional standards, research, innovation and indigenous technology, while providing leadership in addressing the country’s infrastructural and technological challenges.
Kesha urged engineers to uphold professionalism, ethical conduct and continuous learning in deploying solutions that improved the citizens’ quality of life and strengthened the economy.
Addressing newly inducted members, she reminded them that admission into the society came with responsibilities, including adherence to professional ethics, competence, accountability and public safety.
The President of NSE, Mr Ali Rabiu, described the theme of the lecture as timely and relevant, in view of the growing pressure on nations to maximise limited resources while meeting increasing infrastructure demands.
Rabiu, represented by the National Executive Committee Member, Mr Ayotunde Ogunnoiki, said that the public lecture provided an opportunity for professionals and stakeholders to exchange ideas.
He said that it provided an opportunity to explore innovative approaches and develop practical recommendations to support sustainable national development.
Rabiu commended the NSE Lagos Branch for sustaining initiatives that promoted accountability, transparency, efficient resource management and professional excellence.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Founding Partner, Strategic Intent LLP, Dr Babatunde Sodade, said that engineers must move beyond technical practice and become active participants in policy formulation and national development conversations.
Sodade said that public discourse on infrastructure was often dominated by political rhetoric, with insufficient attention given to practical solutions and implementation strategies.
According to him, Nigeria faces an unprecedented wave of urbanisation and population growth that will require massive investments in housing, roads, power, healthcare facilities, water systems and transportation infrastructure.
He said that Lagos was projected to become one of the world’s largest cities by 2050, while Nigeria’s housing deficit and infrastructure gaps continued to widen.
“The question before us is not whether to build. It is whether Nigeria will allow its own people to do the building and whether, when the building is done, the knowledge of why and how it was built remains here,” Sodade said.
He expressed concern that many of Nigeria’s major infrastructure projects had historically been dominated by foreign firms, limiting opportunities for indigenous capacity development and knowledge transfer.
According to him, local engineers and firms are often constrained by inadequate access to long-term financing, restrictive procurement practices and limited opportunities to acquire large-scale project experience.
To address the challenge, he proposed the establishment of a National Infrastructure Professional Apprenticeship Programme to ensure structured capacity development for Nigerian professionals.
Sodade also advocated for the creation of a Nigeria Infrastructure Capacity Development Agency to coordinate knowledge transfer and strengthen indigenous participation in major infrastructure projects.
According to him, foreign firms should not be excluded from infrastructure development but should be repositioned as mentors, programme managers and technical advisers, with clear obligations to transfer knowledge to Nigerian professionals.
He further proposed the establishment of an Infrastructure Contractor Development Fund to provide working capital, equipment financing, equipment leasing facilities and performance guarantees for indigenous firms.
Sodade said that the fund could be financed through a statutory infrastructure capacity levy as well as support from development finance institutions such as the Bank of Industry, Development Bank of Nigeria and multilateral agencies.
He stressed the need to strengthen engineering education by incorporating business management, contract administration, financial literacy and project structuring into professional training.
The keynote speaker also called for greater engagement of Nigerian professionals in the diaspora, noting that many possessed valuable experience that could accelerate local capacity development.
According to him, women must also be deliberately included in engineering and infrastructure development initiatives.
“We must not leave out women. Women must be in the room and also on site,” he said.
Sodade warned that continued dependence on foreign expertise could result in billions of dollars in professional income leaving the Nigerian economy annually, while also creating long-term maintenance and technical knowledge gaps.
He said that the institutional memory and technical knowledge required to maintain critical infrastructure should reside within Nigeria, rather than in foreign countries where projects were designed or executed.
Drawing lessons from countries such as Malaysia, India and South Korea, Sodade said that deliberate investments in local engineering capacity had enabled indigenous firms in those countries to compete successfully in international markets.
He urged the NSE, government and other stakeholders to champion policies that would strengthen local content, improve access to finance and create sustainable pathways for knowledge transfer.
According to him, Nigeria possesses the talents, skills, population and diaspora network required to transform its infrastructure sector, if the necessary political will and institutional support are provided.
The event also featured the induction of new members into the society and the presentation of awards to distinguished individuals and organisations for their contributions to engineering practice, infrastructure development and national growth. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Christiana Fadare
