Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has commended Nigerian engineers for driving the infrastructural development of the country.
The Vice President gave this commendation, on Tuesday when he received in audience, at the State House Abuja, the President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations, Marwan Abdelhamid, who was led by the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mustapha Balarabe Shehu.
Sambo stated that the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration had high regard for the Nigerian engineer, saying that “there is no doubt that for any country to achieve its developmental objectives, the engineering aspect of the human capacity of that society or country must be seen to be developed and supported.”
The Vice President, who noted that he was a fellow and member of the NSE, said that the administration through its marshal plan, the Transformation Agenda, had made it mandatory that Nigerian engineers were fully engaged in all facets of the infrastructural development of the country, mentioning such areas to include power supply, transportation, education, health and agriculture, among other sectors of the economy.
Sambo, expressing delight with the hosting rights granted Nigeria for the 2014 World Conference of Engineers, assured that government would not only support NSE and its involvement, with the WFEO, but would ensure the success of the conference, stressing that the event would showcase Nigeria’s developmental strides to participating engineers from all over the world.
He congratulated the President of the WFEO for his election, as well as Olumuyiwa Ajibola, the past President of the NSE, for being appointed as an adviser to the WFEO President.
Earlier the President of the WFEO, Marwan Abdelhamid, commended the NSE for being a very strong and important member of the world body, adding that the WFEO sees Nigeria as the voice of Africa in the body, commending government for its support to the NSE.
Abdelhmid disclosed that the body has over 93 countries in its membership, representing over 20 million engineers all over the world. He said the body has its Headquarters in Paris, France in the UNESCO building. He however, lamented that only 18 countries are represented from Africa, but expressed optimism that with the Abuja declaration, emphasising the need to increase African membership, these would be overcome.
While calling on Nigeria to support the hosting of the WFEO conference, which would hold in 2014, the WFEO President stated that Nigeria was given the hosting rights of the conference in Slovenia in 2012, with the theme “Sustainable Development Goals in Infrastructure and Water.”
Other members of the delegation were, the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Muntasar Abdelzaid, the Executive Director of the WFEO, Mrs. Tahani Youssef, as well as other members of the NSE.
