Engr Titi Omo Etu presented a paper on DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT AGENDA FOR BUSINESSES IN TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES at the ongoing Nigeria Engineering Assembly in Abuja. The Engineering Assembly is a family meeting of all trained and registered persons in all cadres of engineering, namely; engineers, engineering technologists, technicians, and craftsmen. They meet annually to compare notes and to diagnose their roles in nation building.
The Presentation titled “DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT AGENDA FOR BUSINESSES IN TRADITIONAL ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES”, argues that Nigeria, having lost its development verve to the doom of a mismanaged oil-boom era may still be saved if she holds her engineering professionals responsible for her future development.
Essentially the paper deliberately opens up a CONVERSATION on the need to build BIG, GOOD, ENGINEERING BUSINESSES as a way of
(1) asserting engineering and it’s practitioners,
(2) taking Nigerians out of poverty quickly and
(3) catalysing the positive impact of ICT on the lifes of our citizens.
It prescribes that a purpose-built, non-government-involved, big, good, professional engineering business regardless of whether it is in consulting, construction or manufacturing will resident at least 1,000 engineers complete with the requisite complements of other skills and professions playing various roles and support.
The paper says it is do-able and suggests DIGITAL EMPOWERMENT as today’s tool.
It gives a highlight of a wide range of implementation processes and claims that a BEHEMOTH in the context of today’s resources, available and acquirable, can be developed in 20 years while a second can be emerge in 30 years if there is concensus, will and courage.
The paper forecasts that entrenched beliefs even within the standard professions that stand as limitation to revolutionary innovations may have to be substantially reviewed in line with the demands of this digital age.
It’s conclusion is to ask that the CONVERSATION on the process BEGINS.
The ALTERNATIVE to that agenda, it says, which will be an uphill task anyway, will be to call on Nigerians to hold those who are in the engineering family responsible for our well-being by insisting thay they constitute the bulk of our political leadership.
That is to say we should reorder our polity, as CHINA has done, where 80 percent of the cabinet at all levels is made of engineers, scientists, and people with engineering training and background. And if the latter were to happen we in the ENGINEERING FAMILY must first emerse ourselves in politics of the country for our people to have the choice to make.
The core of the Presentation is in the BUILD PROCESS which is hinged on the CONCEIVE-DESIGN-BUILD-OPERATE model.
The Presentation is available at HERE for Download
Titi Omo-Ettu FAEng; FNSE is a Consultant Telecom Engineer. and can be reached at www.titiomoettu.com, titi@titiomoettu.com