Electrical, electronic engineers warn against patronising quacks

The Nigeria Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has warned Nigerians of inherent dangers associated with patronising quacks in both their industrial and domestic electrical and electronic installations.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, in his palace on Wednesday, over the planned investiture of the state chairman of the organisation, Engineer Femi Abidoye, the acting national president of the Institute, Engineer Felix Olu, said that there is a need to separate between experts and the quacks in the profession to check untimely deaths and loss of valuable property.

Engineer Olu, a fellow of the Institute, who described quackery as one of the major challenges facing the profession, said that economic challenges made some people patronise quacks at the risk of losing their lives and property.

“These are people who are not in the field, and they say they are businessmen in the area. These are people who are not trained. We need to separate between experts and quacks. And because of the economic challenge, people find these quacks cheaper.

“However, electrical and electronic commodities are not friendly commodities if you don’t handle them well. I mean electric currents. It is a risk that people toy with when they patronise quacks, as that may be the last time they use them. That’s a big challenge we’ve been having”.

The NIEEE acting national president said that the advocacy organisation had some 10 years ago liaised with the government on the need to have a regulating body to improve services in electrical and electronic engineering in order to check quackery in the electrical and electronic engineering profession.

“For those reasons, we got the National Assembly to pass a bill that the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari assented to, and it has already been passed in April 2023, and a gazetted copy came out yesterday.

“It aimed at creating an Act to establish an organisation to be called the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Nigeria, where everybody, not only engineers but technicians, craftsmen, and technologists who practise electrical and electronic engineering business, should register.

This will allow us to check the qualifications and services of members so that Nigeria will get better services.

We’re a private organisation, but we talk with the government in a way where services can better be delivered to Nigerians”.

Also speaking, the state chairman of the organisation, Femi Abidoye, advised people to patronise well-trained professionals to avoid incessant fire outbreaks.

He also identified greediness and inexperience among the people who are not trained to handle electrical and electronic engineering services, urging the professionals to employ ethics in their professional activities.

Speaking during the royal courtesy visit, the Emir commended the efforts of members of the organisation aimed at improving the electrical and electronic sectors in the country, saying that they are worthy professionals among their peers.

The royal father also offered blessings to the people and commended the youthful leadership of the group.

Talking about other aspects of the advocacy functions of the organisation, Engineer Olu said that “Part of what we do is that We make people see concepts of solutions to problems so that those that have capacity can take it up from there.

For instance, that’s why when we install solar street lights in some places, we expect residents of the area to take it up from there and expand the idea.

“We plan to have such in three different locations in the three senatorial districts of Kwara State. It’s the first project in the state.

We don’t only provide electricity. We have other solutions. We liaise and discuss with, for instance, GSM providers and communities that are yet to benefit from GSM services in the country in order to expand telecommunications services to those areas”.

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