Jonah Advises Engineers to Show Interest in Politics.

 

Former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd has advocated that for the  sustainable development of infrastructural projects, engineers should to show more interest in national politics so as to  be given lead role at the level of policy conception.

He also advised that ministries with mainly engineering functions should be headed by  engineers just as doctors and lawyers head theirs.

Speaking recently in Yenagoa  at this year 5th Annual Lecture and 1st Memorial Lecture of Prof. (Chief) Telimoye M. Oguara, organized by the Nigerian Society of Engineers Yenagoa branch, Jonah said that if Nigeria must  catch up with fast engineering economies, there was a  need to delibratetly  avoid the selective application of professionals to manage critical sectors of the  national lives.

Gboribiogha said, the present involvement of Engineers at both national and state executive levels appears to be influenced more by political patronage. 

While encouraging more Engineers to engage in active politics,  he said governments should know that an engineer managing Correctional Center and lawyers managing the Works and Housing Ministry is politics gone too far and not in the interest of infrastructural development. 

The former deputy governor who is also a Marine Engineer, said the federal cabinet has just only five engineers, saying  that not all of them hold engineering related portfolios.

He said only 12 out of 109 senators in the National Assembly are Engineers while only four governor's are Engineers out of 36 State governors with three other governor's that have a related qualifications in engineering such as architecture and quantity surveying.

He continued " Policy formulation and planning for infrastructural development must be done by professional Engineers and the country is not lacking in their supply".

"A simple reversal of these roles would have facilitated improved supervision of our projects, for the sustainable development of the nation's physical Infrastructure".

" This is the strategic leadership issue that must be addressed to spark economic growth and improvement in the quality of life in the country. There is a clear need to put  round pegs in  round holes or prepare for the consequences of the choices. 

"We must understand clearly that adequate project supervision is Central to successful economic execution of physical Infrastructural projects".

 "Some portfolios that are better handled by professional Engineers are being handled by others as illustrated in two glaring cases, namely the Ministry of Transport and Works where pure political patronage at the expense of development appears to have been the determining factor in assigning those portfolios.

 "There was even a time in the past when a lawyer was holding three "engineering specific ministries" works, housing and power". The world is driven by knowledge and Nigeria is not lacking in that"

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the occasion who is also the national president of Nigerian Society of Engineers,  Engr. Tasiu Sa'ad Gidari-Wudil, said  that  engineers have distanced themselves from politics for too adding that  it has not in any way help them nor the country.

He said, they have been encouraging their members financially for those of them that want to go into politics. 

"We said any of our members that wants to contest for the office of the president is one million naira, while that of Senate five hundred thousand naira and house of Representatives three hundred and fifty thousand naira. Unfortunately, only few applied".

Engr. Tasiu encourage members of the NSE to invest in politics especially in any candidate that will make the difference. "We have been encouraging our members to be in politics to enable them advise the politicians".

In his welcome address, the state chairman of Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. James Karimo Sokari, said the non involvement of Engineers by government and on the other hand Engineers not strategically positioning themselves  politically to give a bearing to government policies as it regards the technological development of the society has been a worrying discuss in the NSE both at the national and branch level at various states.

He said government both at the federal and state level including Bayelsa state in recent times have not been appointing Engineers into executive council, to take the lead to advise government spontaneous technological related decisions that needed to be taken at council meetings.

"Engineers must realize that in the game of politics, you cannot be absolutely passive and expect to be appointed into positions only on the grounds of your informed Engineering knowledge. Members must be prepared to also actively participate in politics". He said.

The lecture with the theme: Engineers In Politics, a Convergence for National Infrastructural Development was organized to celebrate Engr. Prof (Chief) Telimoye M. Oguara for his contribution towards engineering development in the country before his demise.