Engr. Aderemi Oseni, the Member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency and the House Committee Chairman on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), has underscored the critical importance of promoting indigenous engineering solutions for economic growth in Nigeria.
As the guest speaker at the Annual Founder Lecture organised by the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Ikeja Branch, on Saturday, Oseni highlighted success stories from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, illustrating the transformative power of indigenous engineering solutions in driving economic growth, job creation, and technological advancements.
In his address themed “Promoting Indigenous Engineering Solutions for Economic Growth: The Prospects, Opportunities, Challenges, and the Way Forward”, the lawmaker emphasised the need for Nigeria to address its infrastructure challenges by harnessing its vast engineering capabilities, talent, and resources.
The lecture showcased notable examples of successful indigenous engineering solutions in Nigeria across various fields, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, solar engineering, water engineering, software development, agriculture engineering, renewable energy engineering, and ICT & telecommunications engineering.
He further highlighted economic growth, job creation, technological innovation, local demand, sustainable development, and skills development among others as the prospects and opportunities for promoting indigenous engineering solutions.
The lawmaker also revealed limited investment in research and development, lack of awareness and recognition, infrastructure deficit, capacity building, limited access to capital, and regulatory and policy barriers as its challenges.
Oseni suggested, ‘Increased investment in research and development, strengthening educational and training programmes, access to financing, collaborative partnerships, supportive policies, and regulations,’ among others, as the way forward.
Sharing his commitment and contributions to promoting indigenous engineering solutions in Nigeria, he cited examples from his company, STEP Development Limited. The structural engineer emphasised the importance of developing local expertise, training, and empowering young engineers.
As the House Committee Chairman on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), he outlined initiatives to promote indigenous engineering solutions, including “increased funding, transparency, accountability, and prioritizing local engineers in road maintenance projects.”
Oseni called for unity in promoting indigenous engineering solutions, urging collaboration across sectors to unleash Nigeria’s engineering talents for a prosperous and sustainable future.
