Engineers urge members to participate in politics

Exasperated by the seeming insensitivity of National Assembly in various political dispensations to involve professionals in policy formulation on infrastructure development in the country, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has urged its members to go into active politics.

The move, which they reasoned to be overdue, would afford the practitioners opportunity to provide the needed policy direction capable of revolutionalising the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring rapid economic growth.

The idea was mooted at the 8th memorial lecture, commemorating the passing away of the first chairman of Ikeja branch of the association, Dr Ralph Alabi, who died on November 11, 2008.

Guest speaker at the event,  Director, Human Resources, Flour Mills Plc, Mr Wale Adeniran, who spoke on the topic: “Political and Human Re-Engineering: An Exemplary Passion of an Icon for His Nation”, said that political leadership should be accessible and affordable to engineers in order to make the desired impacts needed to improve the nation’s economy and meet its infrastructure needs.

Adeniran was of the conviction that “Engineers, by their training, are in position to provide solutions to nation’s infrastructure deficits, enhance its economic development, including managing of human resources. Specifically, they would do better in political leadership,” he posited.

According to him, engineers provide quality leadership in most developed countries, citing China as example of where engineers’ efforts contributed immensely to the infrastructure and economic revolutions.

“Some countries like Indonesia with history of military rule developed rapidly because their engineers were given opportunity in governance.

“The NSE must take it as a challenge to mentor engineers to provide leadership. In the case of China, they have engineer politicians. Where are our own engineer politicians?” he asked.

The chairman Ikeja branch of NSE, Mr Akin Akintola, in his own admission, said he was ready to lead the campaign to mentor engineers into politics.

“I am a politician myself and will encourage and give my members optimum support to go into politics for the overall good of Nigeria,” he said.

Akintola said that the legacy of the late first chairman, Dr Ralph Alabi, being celebrated, was worthy of emulations.

The past chairman of NSE Lagos Chapter, Mr Tunde Zedomi, stressed the need to take the campaign for participation of engineers in politics serious.