FG should utilise physics, engineering graduates in projects execution ―Prof Okeke

PROFESSOR Emeritus Okeke, Lecturer at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, on Tuesday advised governments at all levels to utilise physics and engineering graduates for road construction, power and mineral exploration in the country.

Okeke made the call in a statement by Mrs Lydia Legbo, the institution’s Public Relations officer in Minna.

The don said this at the 40th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Physics (NIP) at the university.

He said the government had no business awarding contracts to foreigners because Nigerian graduates had the capacity to deliver such jobs with little supervision.

He said physicists and engineers should be trained and given the opportunity to try their hands and learn in the process.

To bridge the gap between the academia and the industries, the don advised the National Universities Commission (NUC) to review Nigerian Universities curriculum, to make industrial attachment possible.

He urged the institutions to change their mode of lecture delivery, to make it more practical so that the private sector would find their products useful.

He said for Nigeria to achieve national development, there was the need to support ground-breaking applied research in physics and technology with incentives for researchers and provision of all necessary facilities.

He said that such support should be extended across all tertiary institutions, colleges of technologies and research institutions.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Musbau Akanji, expressed appreciation to the council members of NIP for allowing the university to host the conference.

He said that the conference theme was apt due to the need to address the various economic challenges of the country through physics and technology.

The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by his Deputy, Prof Oluwole Morenikeji, said the university was excited to host the conference this year and was willing to host the 41st edition of the conference in 2018.

The National President, NIP, Prof David Malgwi, hailed the institution for organising the best ever conference in the history of NIP in recent times.

”This is a confirmation that with determination, a group of committed people working together can indeed make a difference despite all odds and obvious daunting challenges”, he said.

He stated that without good knowledge of physics, the country could not have engineers, technologists, doctors, pharmacists etc.

The Head, Department of Physics, FUT Minna, Prof Uno Uno, said the theme of the conference and its location were apt, stating that the lead and technical papers would attempt to provide solutions to the plethora of societal problems. (NAN)

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