FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST INTEGRATED

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

NIGERIA A CASE IN VIEW

1.0 INTRODUCTIONEngineering Profession is the life-wire for the existence of every living thing on earth because it provides conducive atmosphere / environment for a bearable, comfortable and unquestionable situation, especially for the humanbeings in terms of accommodation, so as to attain their utmost best in all their undertakings worldwide. Hence, the issue of Master Plan for the Integrated Infrastructure must therefore be considered as PRIORITY. 2.0 WAR AGAINST QUACKS IN ENGINEERING PROFESSIONThe phenomenon above is usually exhibited by some highly-placed engineers who collude with QUACKS to secure engineering contracts. Quacks are the engaged and involved in the management and the execution of such contracts, thereby creating room for unprofessional and poorly executed infrastructural works associated with blackmail and lack of public confidence in the Engineering Profession.  3.0 SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)The purpose of recent signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), is to flush out the Quacks in order to eliminate malpractice (sharp practice) in the Engineering Profession. The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria represented the entire Engineering Profession on this agreement.The full implementation of this Agreement is therefore expected without any special preference/regard to any culprit(s) in order to attain respect, dignity and recognition in the practice of Engineering Profession so as to achieve the expected Integrated Infrastructural Development.

4.0 EMBRACING OTHER ENGINEERING FAMILYIt is very important to embrace and accommodate other category of engineering family like graduates from the Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology rather than relegating their academic qualifications and knowledge against the University degrees.

The engineers and the technologists (including the technicians) belong to the same Engineering Family and both cadres should be encouraged to harmonize their knowledge to perform interwoven roles in the execution of engineering projects/works in the practice of Engineering Profession in order to sustain the development of Integrated Infrastructure. It is therefore important and essential to encourage the technologist and the technicians to contribute their best in the Engineering Practice without any embargo to their progress, prospect and achievement in the Engineering Profession.  5.0 NECESSITY FOR CONSORTIUMIt is advisable for the Nigerian Engineers and Technologist, especially the senior and technically experienced ones to come together and float Engineering Consortium that can adequately compete with the foreign Engineering Companies for the growth and development of the Integrated Infrastructure in Nigeria with more emphasis on the use of the Local Content Technology.

This joint operation should be established to create challenges and innovation among the Nigerian Engineers and Technologists to the extent that their knowledge can be developed to attain global recognition with the adaptation of Local Content Technology for the Integrated Infrastructure, which might even be highly sophisticated than the foreign technology. The Nigerian Engineers and Technologists must constitute the nucleus of the operation and management of the Consortium for CONTINUITY and SUSTAINABILITY.

6.0 TRAINING AND RETRAININGIt should be mandatory for any Engineering Establishment in Nigeria to upgrade the knowledge of their technical staff, especially the engineers and their allies in order to acquire modern technology in the development of Integrated Infrastructure as being practised globally.  7.0 POLICY FOR THE ENGINEERING FAMILYThe issue of Policy Making for the engineers and their allies is the STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in conjunction with the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). These organs of Engineering Profession are expected to work together and strive hard to influence any policy being promulgated by both Federal and State Governments of Nigeria so as to promote and achieve Standard Measurements and Specifications for the ARTICULATED DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NATIONAL INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE MASTER PLAN.

8.0 CONCLUSIONLet all Engineering Family come together to invent and develop our own technology, especially with the special reference to the Local Content Technology that can compete GLOBALLY with others from Foreign Countries. The Engineering Family have to be united to fight any IMPEDIMENT against the growth and development of Engineering Profession, especially on the promotion of policy to guide the full adaptation of Integrated Infrastructure in Nigeria.  

THIS IS OUR PRIDETHANKS

 ENGR. RAHMAN A. ALOBA, FNSE, FNICE

Retired Civil Servant 

SOURCE: CONTACT, DISCUSSION AND EXPERIENCE

THANK YOU