The Nigerian Society of Engineers Osogbo Branch led by its Chairman, Engr. Haqib Zubayr has presented the 2017 Group Dynamics trophy won by the Branch to the First Engineer in the State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the State House.
The event which was a follow up to the historic Victory of the Branch at the last Annual Group Dynamics Competition of Nigerian Society of Engineers in Abuja, where the Branch was adjudged as the Best in the Country.
Presenting the Trophy, Engr. Haqib Zubayr praised the Governor for his supports to the Branch and engineering in general while dedicating it to the Governor and the people of the State.
He said it is especially a pride and joy for him and the members to have come first among the 69 branches across the country. A feat achieved for the first time in the history spanning 32 years, beating the more Ikeja and Port Harcourt to Second and Third Places respectively.
He attributed this as part of the governor’s leadership qualities brought to this State over 7 years ago which the Engineers in the State have imbibed. He noted that the feat was achieved by collective efforts and determination right from the foundation set up by Engr. Prof. Layi Fagbenle, FNSE up to Engr. Hon. Adeniran Ibitoye KLM, FNSE under whose tenour the Branch came Second twice
As part of the success at the Conference /AGM, he said the immediate Past Chairman of the Branch, Engr. Adeniran Ibitoye also won election to the office as National Exco member. He praised the Governor for his suport in providing enabling environment for engineers to practice and to associate as a Professional body.
He solicit the Support of the Governor in ensuring that more Engineers in the Ministries are registered while imploring him to continue to support the Branch.
The Governor responded by thanking the engineers and also commending their consistency in making the State proud.
He used the opportunity to seek the support of professional bodies in sensitizing on the importance of culture of Taxation and economic development.
Aregbesola explained that the emerging economic realities remained the signal to the fact that no nation can survive without huge revenue from taxation, adding that global economic reality is compelling seriousness on the need for government and the people of any country that desire development to prioritise taxation as the basic way for revenue generation.
He said, “It is unfortunate that most professionals in our state do not take the issue of taxes seriously. That is why I want to appeal to the leaders of the NSE and other professionals bodies in the state to rally round their members to correctly and appropriately assess themselves so as to pay appropriate taxes to government.
“Before the military interregnum in Nigeria, taxation was a serious civic obligation and responsibility of every citizen and as a matter of fact, the liberty of the citizens was defined and determined by how citizens fulfilled their tax obligations.
“At the time, negligence in tax obligation had a citizen’s liberty circumscribed. But the military during its interregnum with the need for it to forcibly acquire legitimacy from the people, overlooked that very critical factor in modern society.
Further, he said: “The advanced nations of the world generate much more of their resources from the taxes paid by their citizens and that is the only way for responsible, civilised and consequently advanced nations to generate their revenues.
“But backward, under-developed and primitive societies depend on natural resources that, in most cases, they do not even know where such resources came from. Their belief was, once the natural resource is bringing the proceeds to them, they don’t want to know how effective their own assessment of the proceeds is.
“We just found that we all depend on rent to live our lives and any nation that depends on such will just be living a mere existence. So, we must all come to the need to understand the essence of taxation in ensuring good governance. It is time for citizens of the third world particularly African countries to rise to the challenges of poor taxation culture”.
Some of the Engineer ion attendance are:
1. Engr. Haqib Adetomiwa Zubayr – Chairman
2. Engr. Adeniran Felix Ibitoye Kilomodemo, FNSE, Immediate Past Chairman & National Exco Member
3. Engr. Wale Emmanuel Alonge – General Secretary
4. Engr. Mrs Adeola Olufela Adeniyi – Financial Secretary
5. Engr. Adeyinka Atoyebi – Technical Secretary
6. Engr. Temitayo Fagborun – Publicity Secretary
7. Engr. Abolade Idowu – Assistant General Secretary
8. Engr. Ayodele E. Oyedele – Assistant Technical Secretary
9. Engr. Bashil LAWAL – Ex-Officio II
10. Engr. Sakariyau Ademola – Past Chairman
11. Engr. Wahab Olayiwola FNSE – Past Chairman
12. Engr. Felix Adeniran Oginni, FNSE – Chief Examiner
13. Engr. Kazeem Salami FNSE – Hon. Commissioner of Works and Transport
14. Engr. Remi Omowaiye Bukky – Hon. Commissioner of Science, Technology and Innovation
15. SSA, Science, Technology and Innovation)
16. Engr. Ayodeji Odeyemi
17. Adesuyi Bright
