The Minister of Niger Delta Development, Hon Engr Abubakar Momoh, has been honoured with the Award of Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) for his contributions to the field of engineering and administration in Nigeria.
Minister Momoh, who holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, was among those conferred with fellowship, while an Honorary Fellowship was also bestowed upon Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Expressing his gratitude, Minister Momoh stated, “I feel very glad because it’s a recognition from our professional colleagues, which indicates that the little effort I have made in the past is very well recognized. I’m indeed very glad that this recognition will spur me to do more, particularly when we find ourselves in the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, where we also collaborate with the Nigeria Society of Engineers to mitigate the effects of climate change in the region.
“As an engineer, I expect those handling our projects at the ministry to give us the best because that’s what the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians deserve. We will also interface with other agencies and other ministries who have one thing or the other to do in the Niger Delta – being an interventionist ministry, we have to intervene in so many areas and collaborate with many ministries because most of the activities of the ministry are also domiciled in other ministries and agencies.
“For instance, if you talk about road network, the Ministry of Works is there. If you’re talking in terms of youth restiveness, the Presidential Amnesty Program is there. If you’re talking in terms of blue economy, which traverses the entire Niger Delta region, the ministry is there – we intend to work together and in collaboration make sure the region is better for it,” the minister said.
In response to the fellowship conferment, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdul Oroh, said, “We have known the Honourable Minister for many years as a distinguished engineer. In fact, most people call him engineer because they don’t know his name.
“We are happy that now he has reached the peak of his professional attainment. He is a great manager, a leader, a great politician, a thorough professional, and a very dependable person – if he says yes, you can take his words to the bank – he’s very dependable,” he said.
On his part, Hon. Patrick Ikhariale, who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, said, “A great honour has been done to my friend and brother, Engr. Abubakar Momoh – it shows the very competent engineer that he is, and we are very happy about this because this is a man that we can say with all sense of responsibility has been very disciplined in his profession.
“He has done so well that it is not surprising that the Nigerian Society of Engineers has deemed him worthy and fit to confer him with a fellowship today.
“One thing you can say about Engineer Momoh is that he’s very pragmatic, strategic, and focused in all he does. He’s a man of principles and a man that you can always rely on – when he says yes, it is yes. He’s not a man that is given to frivolities. He’s a man that you can say has all the qualities of a leader, which include honesty, probity, and humility.
“Hon. Engr. Momoh has that commitment to purpose, commitment to friendship, and, above all, a very principled human being who’s not easily swayed – if he stands on an issue, he’s prepared to take it to its logical conclusion, and we respect him for that.
“So, we’re not surprised that he’s getting this honour today – we know that this is yet another feather added to his cap, and we hope that by the grace of God, many more feathers will be added to his cap because every day of his life, he takes steps that are positive towards assisting the human race.
“The humanity in him is such that he has the commitment of purpose to assist and ensure that there’s an equal playing ground for all – so, we are very happy and pleased with this honour,” Ikhariale said.
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