The second day of NUESA summit is as interesting as the first, Mariam Haruna and isqil Najim report. You can read report of the Day one where where Mr. Mike Sangster, MD Total Exploration and Production and others emphasized there are many opportunities thrown up by the pandemic and the engineers are needed to tap them.
The theme of Day two which was tagged The graduate League is " Bridging the Gap between Academic Knowledge and Industrial Requirements" was targeted towards preparing the young engineers for the post graduate work life while also helping them navigate the COVOD 19 Pandemic. The theme of Day two which was tagged The graduate League is “ Bridging the Gap between Academic Knowledge and Industrial Requirements” was targeted towards preparing the young engineers for the post graduate work life while also helping them navigate the COVOD 19 Pandemic.
With men like Engr Adeniran Ibitoye, Special Adviser to Governor Oyetola of Osun State on Water Resources and Energy who doubles as a Vice President of NSE, Engr (Mrs.) Chinyere Nnena Igwegbe, National Executive Member of NSE and also the coordinator of the event, Engr Hauwa Sadique, Past President of APWEN, Engr. Prof Mohammed Dauda, Engr Sunday Fagbemiro and Engr Cletus Ajibade, a software engineer and founder of CodeHouse Africa and others, it could only have been nothing short of excitement. and they did not disappoint.
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Opening the session, the President of NUESA, Dauda Monsuru appreciated the presidents of NSE and COREN, the executive director of Total E&P for being available and talking to them the day before. He welcomed the guests to the Day 2. Speaking on the choice of the theme for the Session, he said that recent graduate internship report gave an insight into the level of urgency required to address the challenges in Nigeria’s Labour market, which is facing one of the worst unemployment crises in its history.
Dauda expressed his optimism that the gather aimed at providing a platform for engineering students institution gather to learn, compete, interact and also meet with experienced engineers. This, according to him "would better equip students for the growth and development of the Nigerian Engineering Sector and Economy and to further groom the students on excellent leadership skills."
Engr Adeniran Ibitoye, in his contribution, called for an upgrade in educational institutions so we can confront the challenges facing the society. he advised the younger professionals not to wait for government and be ready to deploy their innovation and creative energy. In his word, “We should yearn for creativity and innovation; we should be able to match up with advanced countries at this time. Post-COVID19 should tell how we should assist ourselves; it is the time of Hi-tech. Our youngsters should not wait or expect the government to help them, we should think about how we should assist ourselves.”
“Our students should not think about the incessant strikes in our universities and they should be mindful of what they do in those times. We should strive to update and upgrade, we should not always think about graduation and certificate.” Engr Adeniran Ibitoye.
Prof. Muhammad Dauda, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director at Advanced Manufacturing Technology Institute, Jalingo , an Institution under National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI calls for innovation and forward thinking in our educational institutions. He also said the various fields in engineering are wide and there are unlimited opportunities, the fields are also interrelated.
Speaking from his base in USA, Cletus Ajibade, a software and technology expert spoke about the many development in the technology sector, especially with the coming of the pandemic. He suggested that government should make provisions for students to have access to online resources and classrooms and continue their education online. He said he noticed a new trend in education, where there are shorter courses where one can learn online, taking lesser data and time, and there are many opportunities one can have access to online knowledge and information. He advised engineering students not to not just wait at home. They should make good use of their time during this period and learn new things. He told students to be prepared for opportunities and also learn pitch their ideas, so as to be able to convince any to be interested persons or organisation few minutes.
Engr Nwodi Egbune Wosu, a petroleum Engineer and career counselor in his own contribution, calls of an overhauling of the system and putting things in place to make things work. He encourages students to be willing to learn; they should be humble so they can gain a lot from their mentors and search for opportunities.
Engr Sunday Fagbemiro, and Oil and gas expert, talked about a mentor-mentee relationship, he said someone who needs guidance should be serious, show commitment and not just do it for formality sake or fun. He emphasized the importance of having building professional networks and for one to be exemplary in one’s field.
Engr Adeniran Ibitoye, drawing from his experience advocated the need for professionals to take interest in policy formulation and implementation. He said the best way to bridge the gap between academics, industry and policy makers is the implementation of laws and investment in research. Research is very important for any country to move forward. He said having professionals in politics is very important as they make things happen. So anyone in a professional field can venture into politics as they are needed. He advised students to be patient and learn, they should not be in a hurry to make money or get rich. Students should not only look for jobs but also create opportunities for themselves.
“Our students should not think about the incessant strikes in our universities and they should be mindful of what they do in those times. We should strive to update and upgrade, we should not always think about graduation and certificate.” Engr Adeniran said.
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Engr Nnenna Igwegbe,, a NSE National Executive Member, and Chair of Media and Publicity Committee of the NSE who is also the coordinator of the week long event, the first by NSE thanked everyone present. Saying that a lot of takeaway can be derived from the event. She stressed the determination of the Nigerian Society of Engineers to uplift the Students welfare and also support their professional development. The summit is part of the efforts towards achieving that and more will come. She encouraged the students to stay focused and search and apply for opportunities.
