My Engineers Blog

A Delegation of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) was on a scheduled visit to the Nigeria High Commission at Kampala, Uganda. The Team led by the NSE President, Engr Otis Anyaeji FNSE, FAEng was ably represented by a Past President of the Society, Engr I.K. Inuwa FNSE, OFR and was received by the Minister of the High Commission, Mr. Saddiq O. Akoshi and his Officials. Republic of Uganda which is located in the Eastern part of Africa has approximately 35million people with H.E Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the President. His present cabinet has 80 Ministers, which include 31 Senior Ministers. This makes Uganda having the largest Cabinet in the World. Nigeria and Uganda signed trade agreement, Technical Aid Corp Scheme with a lifespan of 5years, among others. Uganda is on its way to implement & replicate the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC). There are some Nigerians Churches, Banks and Insurance Companies operating in Republic of Uganda. It is noted

13th Distinguished Electrical and electronic engineering annual lecture organised by the Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has come and gone. But the memory of the event and the eye opening presentation by Engr Oladele Amoda, MD Eko Electricity Distribution Company to last longer in memory . On hand also are companies (local and international ) that showcase world class products and services which offer tremendous choices in energy consumption for Nigerians. Engr Amoda presented a topic titled : "power distribution Demand side management in Developing economies" which addressed the principle of Demand Side Management concept as one of the ways to manage energy as well as reduce electricity consumption at the customer end of the electricity supply value chain through effective control and load management from utility side and efficient use of energy among others covered. While the presenter acknowledged the shot comings in our power generation a

Most BBM users finally have access to the app's video calling capability. BlackBerry has released the feature for Android and iOS in Asia-Pacific, which is apparently home to its biggest userbase. The company said it made cross-platform video calls available in the US and Canada first, because it wanted to be able to fix bugs before it reaches more people. Since video calling is now stable, the phonemaker can roll it out to the rest of world. While BBM isn't as popular as its newer, shinier rivals like Messenger or WhatsApp anymore, BlackBerry is still developing new features for it. In fact, this release is but a small part of a bigger rollout. Later this summer, the company will launch the capability to register for an account using a phone number, among other things. Android users will be able to share larger videos, as well, while those on iOS will be able to mute group notifications.

According to Engr Ali, the focus on Automotive Policy of the country is an opportunity to kick start the Nigerian technology development during difficult moment on our history. Many industrialized economies today have hard to push their technology acceleration through automotive industry. Among which are United States of America, Japan and German. The case of Germany is especially of good lessons to Nigeria. Using the VW Beetle car as an example, after the WW11, the government of the then Western Germany commissioned some engineers to design a cheap, affordable and efficient automobile for use within the country. The outcome became successful beyond the shores of the country. This birthed the VW Beetle, which was dominant in this clime for many decades. This iconic brand re-launched the then western German into economic Prosperity. Today, the automotive industry contributes significantly to the Germany Gross Domestic products (GDP). About half a dozen years after the worst recessi

The Nigerian Society of Engineers Awka branch on Tuesday 21st of June, 2016 paid a courtesy visit to Anambra Newmap. The team which was led by the Chairman Engr. S. I. Ofodille stated that they were on the visit to inform the project of their upcoming 25 years anniversary of the Branch and to also find out areas of partnership between the body and the State Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP.  Responding, the State NEWMAP Project Coordinator Michael Ivenso thanked the group for taking out time to visit.  He gave an overview of  the activities of NEWMAP in the State noting that NEWMAP is ever ready to partner with such professional bodies especially in the area of their expertise in evaluation of bids and the supervision process. He called on the body to help in creating awareness among the citizenry on some anti-enviromental practices that help aggreviate erosion gullies. The PC also called for a behavioural change among the people on the way they treat nat

All roads lead to the Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos on Thursday 23rd June, 2016 Engr. Mrs. Joanna Olu Maduka was born in Ilesha, Osun State on May 6th, 1941. She had her early education at Queens School, Ede, from where she passed the West African School Certificate in 1959. She gained admission to the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan and passed her Advanced Level Examinations in 1962. Thereafter, she was admitted to the University of Ife where she graduated in Applied Physics with B.Sc. (Hons) 2nd Class Upper Division in 1965. Engr. Mrs. Maduka passed the Graduateship Examination of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK) in 1966 and earned an M.Sc. (Engineering) degree from Trinity College, Dublin in 1969 She was appointed as a Graduate Apprentice in the Engineering Division of Western Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, Ibadan (1965-1966); a Lecturer in Applied Physics at University of Ife and later promoted Lecturer, (1

The Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) on Saturday called for a comprehensive awareness of power demand management and energy conservation issues in the country. The institution made the call via a statement signed by Engr Adekunle Makinde, the Secretary, 2016 Distinguished Electrical and Electronics Engineer Annual Lecture (DEEEAL). The statement said that proper power demand management and energy conservation arrangements would facilitate Nigeria’s efforts to manage and utilise efficiently its current megawatts capacity It said that the institute was organising a yearly lecture with the topic “Power Distribution Demand Side Management in Developing Economies”. Advertisement It said that the 2016 annual lecture, which would take place in Lagos on June 23, was expected to address a major but often neglected area of electricity network management in the country. The statement said that stakeholders in the country’s electrical and electronics

Many engineers are hesitant to strike out on their own as entrepreneurs. But there are rich rewards for those who do Engineers Robert F. Smith, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg, Larry Page—all have something in common—besides being exceedingly wealthy. They started their own companies. In the new startup economy, engineers and others in “geeky” fields are more inclined than ever to venture out on their own, even without previous business experience. Some, as those mentioned above, do extraordinarily well, but engineers considering the transition should be aware of a few challenges.  Engineers as “Product People” “Many of the developers I know are ‘product people’,” says Evan Rose, founder of Rose Digital, a minority-owned digital agency, and a web/mobile applications developer. “When you’re a person who is driven to create, you have the skills to [create], and the cost of launching a company is so low, it creates the perfect conditions for entrepreneurship.” Some engineers are

The Toyota (Nig) Ltd has distributed automobile equipment worth 10 million Naira to  tertiary institutions across the country. This noble gesture was presented by the company's Managing Director,  Mr. Olakunle Adebola Ade-Ojo at the 2016 Public Lecture organised by NIMechE Lagos chapter recently. Chaired by the National Chairman, Engr. Ugochukwu Nzurumike, FNSE, the event, titled: "Shoring the National Gap through Automotive Manufacturing. Sales and Management" delivered by Engr Wilson Ali FNSE witnessed participation of various dignitaries as well as some representatives of Tertiary institutions in the country. The Managing Director, while presenting the equipment to the institutions present remarked that the gesture was part of the Company's CSR and its contribution into the  development of Nigeria through Education. He observed that national economy benefits from sound education of engineers and that the efforts was inspired by the company's desire to en

Kaduna legislator and chairman of the senate committee on domestic debt and loans, Shehu Sani has spoken up regarding the lack of electricity being experienced across the country. According to a report Sani said there was no excuse for the kind of hardship Nigerians were facing, describing the lack of power supply as unacceptable and embarrassing. Speaking further, Senator Sani called on President Muhammadu Buhari to review his appointments, advising him not only to appoint an electrical engineer, but one who has the knowledge of the industry. His words: “We are in a state of paralysis, and there is urgent need to appoint a reputable electrical engineer to manage the affairs of power, independent of other responsibilities” “Distribution Companies (DISCOs) were now distributing darkness despite increment in electricity tariff; private power investors have failed the nation by moving manageable power epilepsy to a complete paralysis,” Sani said. Sani went on to beseech the

The minister of state for petroleum resources and NNPC group managing director, Ibe Kachikwu, made this commitment during the World Environment Day (WED) at the NNPC Towers in Abuja. He stated that this move demonstrated the support of Nigeria’s oil sector for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on best environmental management practices. Kachikwu said that as part of the corporation’s initiative to conserve wildlife, it had set up the Lekki Conservation Centre with the support of Chevron Nigeria and Finima Nature Park in Bonny with the support of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG). The minister stated that over time, the Federal Government has recognised the importance of wildlife resources and demonstrated its commitment to its preservation by establishing national parks and game reserves for the protection and preservation of wildlife and their natural habitats. He urged the staff of the corporation to support wildlife conservation in Nigeria for a sustai

I was surprise today when I noticed during my research on how Fire Services can be funded by multinational companies or cooperate bodies not waiting for Government to do everything. As I was going through every readable thing I see, I was redirected to insurance company. Briefly this is what I saw.   The Insurance Act 2003 The Insurance Act 2003 repealed the Insurance Decree No. 2 of 1997 while reenacting many of the provisions of the former law, it has several other new provisions. This report highlights some of the areas of differences between the former law and the new law. Section 65 (4) specifies that 0.25% of the premium collected is to be paid into a Fire Services Maintenance Fund to be administered and disbursed by NAICOM for the purpose of providing grants or procurement of equipment to institutions engaged in fire fighting services in the country.  MY TAKE ON THIS LITTLE ONE Now I have seen little truth for Fire Service. The issue in the Insurance act ha

Here's why I'm joining Bill Gates' "Chicken Revolution" I was intrigued by Bill Gates’ chicken idea and followed him to his blog (GatesNotes.com), which also referred me to his wife, Melinda’s blog. Both husband and wife convinced me with their argument and I am now infected with their chicken bug. If you didn’t read my post yesterday, here is the summary.  Bill and Melinda Gates are convinced that the chicken is the “ATM of the poor”. They are so passionate about the idea that Bill has pledged to provide 100,000 chickens to Africans. He argued that starting with five chickens, a woman can make $1,000 a year, thereby taking her off the extreme-poverty line, which is currently estimated to be $700. So, Bill, why would you raise chickens? “They’re a good investment. Suppose a new farmer starts with five hens. One of her neighbors owns a rooster to fertilize the hens’ eggs. After three months, she can have a flock of 40 chicks. Eventually, with a s

The Nigerian Society of Engineers in collaboration with Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) invites Technical Papers for the year 2016 International Engineering Conference holding at Tropicana Conference Centre, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state from 21st – 25th November, 2016. PRESENTATION MEDIUM Manuscripts accepted for the conference must be submitted in electronic form as a single electronic file CD-ROM or flash Drive. The current software format is that of Microsoft Word (MS-Word) latest edition. ILLUSTARTIONS AND GRAPHICS All drawings shall be prepared electronically with software compatible with Microsoft Office suite (e.g. MS-PowerPoint, Visio) and integrated seamlessly into the MS-Word document. Photographs shall also be digitized into JPEG format and inserted seamlessly into MS-Word document EQUATIONS Mathematical equations shall be constructed within MS-Word document, using

There is no billion dollar budget. The labs and equipment are far from cutting edge. The agency’s museum sits empty. New challenges lurk around every corner. Yet S. O. Mohammed, director general of the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), is determined to wring scientific achievements out of his shoestring budget. “We have always said … the Nigerian space program is not going to be an ego trip,” Mohammed told CNNMoney. “We are not part of the race for the moon, we’re not part the race for Mars,” he continued. “What we need to look at is using the space program to look at how we can create typical Nigerian solutions to most of our problems.” Mohammed’s goals include the ability to locally design and build a satellite by 2018. By 2030, he hopes to launch a satellite from Nigerian territory. After that? He wants to put a man to the moon. Yet Mohammed faces intense scrutiny. Critics want to know why Nigeria is spending money on a space program when

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has called on all able bodied Nigerians to take to farming on full or part time basis as alternative to the over-dependence on oil for the quick recovery of the ailing economy of the country.‎ The Governor stated this while‎ addressing people at the 2016 flag-off of cashew planting season and roll out of cashew expansion programme of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and rural development at Ogudu Village, Ife-East Local Government Area of the state. This was even as the Minister for Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh said the ministry will embark on plantation of 2 million cashew every year for 4 years and that the stage is set to ensure massive plantation of cocoa, plantain and banana across the nation.‎ Aregbesola stressed that the only way for Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national economic development was for able men and women to go back to farms. He called on other leaders in all tiers of government in Nigeria to stop r

There have been discontents within the engineering community over wages disparity compared to other professionals. The younger generation of Engineers are especially more vociferous and often cited the lifestyles of management and medical personnel and legal professionals to back their claims. The argument is often that since the engineers spent years in schools (and additional mandatory postgraduate training years) under rigorous environment before they become professionals, they should be automatically rewarded in financial remuneration when employed. From civil services to consulting, construction and telecom et al: the story is the same. Engineers feel less appreciated by the system they are serving. The only section that appear to be faring better are the oil and gas, telecom and perhaps the aviation which place high premium on remuneration in order to retain talents.   What are the factors that contributed into this situation? Surely, it is hard to blame one single

ISO 37001 is a proposed new anti-bribery management systems standard which is currently under development by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization which develops and publishes International Standards. ISO 37001 will materially help reduce the risk of bribery by helping organizations implement anti bribery controls. If public sector procurement bodies were to make independently certified compliance with ISO 37001 a pre-condition to obtaining work for major public sector contracts, then this could materially help reduce corruption in public sector contracting. Last April, the draft version of the new ISO standard in development got an overwhelmingly success: 29 ISO members participating countries voted in favor, and 3 against (91%). WFEO is a partner in the project and plays a special role by being a liaison organization to the ISO project committee and by providing a chair of the drafting committee. For more information, click on the following links:

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) at the weekend alleged that field reports from its investigative teams had shown that some state governments were blocking it from conducting comprehensive investigations into the causes of frequent building collapses in the country. It said in most cases, officials of the state governments had opted to destroy vital evidences that could help determine the causes of these collapses or even refused to open up on the operational status of contractors they award building projects to. It said one of such classical example was in Ogun State where buildings in the ultra-modern Itoku Market in Abeokuta collapsed and an integrity assessment on other projects that had been completed or under construction by its team was blocked. NSE’s President, Otis Anyaeji, told journalists at a briefing in Abuja that while the incedents were shameful to the profession in the country, it was more disheartening to know that they could have been prevented b

Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has called on the federal government to consider its inputs on the planned restructuring of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in order to avoid the mistakes of the past. NSE president, Engr. Otis Anyaeji, said this yesterday in Abuja at a press conference, stressing that considering the group’s inputs would ensure optimal performance of the corporation. “We are aware that the structural change of the NNPC into 30 companies is under review by some consultants. We believe that NSE and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) should be invited to review and authenticate the forthcoming new structures and the engineering personnel that would head them,” he said. Anyaeji noted that there is the tendency of appointing administrators into various positions after the restructuring instead of engineers with proven business and leadership skills. The NSE president stressed that the nation has lost its viability du

Nigerian oil firm Oando said on Monday it has secured a 94.6 billion naira ($475 mln) loan facility from 10 domestic banks under plans to restructure its finances and return to profitability this year.  The financing led by Access Bank, includes Diamond Bank, Ecobank, FCMB, Fidelity Bank, Stanbic IBTC Bank, UBA , Union Bank and Zenith Bank. The facility is a five-year term loan, paying Nigerian interbank rate plus 2 percentage points with a three-year moratorium on principal. “In a bid to return to profitability in 2016, I am happy to announce the successful completion of restructuring our overall debt profile,” Chief Executive Wale Tinubu said in a statement. Oando is still due to post results for 2015, having reported a $246 million loss in the nine months to September. The company posted a record loss of $1.10 billion for 2014. It paid $1.5 billion to acquire ConocoPhillips’ Nigerian business in 2013, when oil prices were at a peak. But high financing costs coupled with