By Grace Alegba
The Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE) has urged the Federal Government to adopt its recommendations on electricity, flooding, wastewater management and climate change to accelerate national development.
The President of the institute, Prof. Rahamon Bello, made the call in Lagos during a news conference heralding the Academy’s 2026 apex events.
Bello said the institute had submitted policy and advocacy papers to government, offering engineering solutions to some of the nation’s pressing challenges.
He said a technical study of the 2024 Alau Dam disaster identified engineering and structural failures responsible for the flooding in Borno State.
“The report recommends reconstruction measures, modern early-warning systems and safeguards against future climate-induced disasters.
“The Academy also reviewed Nigeria’s electricity challenges and developed a policy paper to address the sector’s financial and operational constraints.
“Over the past years, the academy has been active in fulfilling its mandate as a think-tank for the engineering sector and government by organising strategic policy dialogues.
“These dialogues were on engineering solutions for energy, efficient and profitable operations of our refineries, transportation, wastewater management, environmental stability and climate change among others,” he said.
Bello endorsed the Presidential Power Sector Financial Reforms Programme and advocated specialised bonds to clear gas supply debts and improve electricity generation.
The NAE president also called for accelerated implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative to increase national grid capacity to 25,000 megawatts.
He urged government to intensify investments in solar, hydro and other renewable energy sources to achieve a sustainable energy mix.
On sanitation, Bello said less than 20 per cent of urban wastewater in Nigeria was properly managed, posing risks to public health and the environment.
He said the institute remained committed to advancing engineering solutions to improve wastewater and sewage management nationwide.
Bello also highlighted the institute’s contributions to climate change discussions and support for Nigeria’s sustainability goals.
He urged government to adopt the institute’s recommendations to protect public health, infrastructure and economic growth.
The NAE president announced that the Academy’s 2026 Apex Events, which had kicked off on June 23, would culminate in the investiture of Prof. Umar Danbatta as its 14th President.
He said the events would feature the Annual General Meeting, National Innovation Competition Exhibition, Technology Dinner and Awards Night.
Others are the Annual Lecture, Life Achievement Awards and induction of new fellows into the Academy.
According to him, the annual lecture, titled “Impactful Engineering through Innovation and Mentorship”, will be delivered by Prof. Fola Lasisi.
Responding to questions from newsmen, Bello said academia-industry partnerships and a proposed formal internship framework would help bridge the gap between engineering education and professional practice.
He noted that the Academy was working to connect innovators with investors and move promising ideas from laboratories to the marketplace.
Also, the Vice-President of the institute, Prof. Umar Danbatta, backed the proposed Engineering Residency Programme being developed by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Danbatta said the programme would combine the National Youth Service Corps scheme with an additional year of industry-based training.
According to him, the initiative will equip young engineers with practical skills and improve their employability.
He stressed the need to commercialise local innovations, noting that many inventions fail to reach the market because of inadequate funding and limited investor support.
The Academy’s Honorary Technical Secretary, Dr Funmi Coker, called for stronger collaboration among engineering firms and increased government patronage of indigenous companies to build competitive local industries.
A council member, Prof. Sam Adefila, identified poor coordination among stakeholders as a major challenge to innovation, skills development and climate action.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa