By Angela Atabo
The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ali Rabiu,has urged engineers to deploy innovation, systems thinking and technology-driven methodologies in government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s insecurity challenges.
Rabiu made the call during a Webinar to mark the 2026 World Engineering Day celebration, with the theme: “ Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalisation” on Wednesday.
He said smart engineering involves the application of advanced technologies and innovative design approaches to create systems, products and structures that are efficient, sustainable and interconnected.
“As we engage in discussions aligned with this theme, we must also explore how engineering can help government deliver practical solutions to the lingering insecurity challenges facing our country.
“Nigeria’s position in global investment rankings and ease-of-doing-business metrics is significantly influenced by safety conditions and regulatory predictability.”
According to Rabiu, without urgent intervention, safety deficits will continue to undermine GDP growth, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), job creation, infrastructure sustainability and public trust in governance.
“Engineers, as critical stakeholders in nation-building, have a vital role to play in addressing these challenges and strengthening the foundation for economic growth and stability.
“I am particularly pleased that our Young Engineers are well represented at this event. It is my desire that we continue to strengthen their capacity, as they are the hope of the future of our Society and country,”he said.
Rabiu explained that their active involvement in forward-thinking ideas was crucial and NSE would ensure that they were positioned to stand ahead of their counterparts globally.
He noted that his administration expected young engineers to think creatively and develop solutions that would benefit the country and humanity at large.
He said they should begin to demonstrate their readiness to carry forward NSE’s institutional goals of promoting engineering professionalism, strengthening technical competence and fostering good governance.
Rabiu commended the initiative of UNESCO in establishing the global platform and appreciated the sustained efforts of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) in driving the World Engineering Day programme over the years.
He described the platform as instrumental in promoting engineering excellence and collaboration across borders.
The Keynote Speaker,Prof. Hilary Owamah, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Delta University, Abraka, said smart engineering driven by innovation and digitalisation remained the defining solution to Nigeria’s development challenges.
Speaking on the theme,“Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalisation,”Owamah said ,“The fundamental question before us is: can we engineer growth without engineering collapse?The answer lies in smart engineering.
“Smart engineering represents the intelligent integration of engineering science, digital intelligence, data-driven systems and sustainability principles.It is engineering that predicts, adapts and optimises,” he said.
Owamah said that Nigeria possessed world-class engineering capacity,however, what is required is scale, integration and sustainability.
He stressed that sustainability is no longer a policy aspiration but an engineering mandate.
He noted that smart engineering would curb environmental degradation enabling the design of flood-resilient infrastructure, optimisation of energy consumption, real-time monitoring of water systems and prediction of structural failures before catastrophe.
“We must move from ‘build and repair’ to ‘predict and prevent.’ The future engineer must be as comfortable with data as with concrete as well as developing local engineering solutions,” he said.
He further stressed that the sustainability of smart engineering depended on education and called on universities to produce engineers digitally fluent, innovation-driven, systems-oriented and ethically grounded.
He called on NSE to intensify efforts in promoting digital competence, strengthening professional standards, encouraging research and innovation, influencing policy direction and building global partnerships.(NAN)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
