Students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA have been enjoined to leverage existing technology to advance their knowledge in Engineering to become relevant problem solvers in the country and beyond. This advice was given at a Symposium put together annually to prepare Engineering students for the physical practice.
Addressing the 200 level Engineering students of the University at the 2023/2024 annual Symposium of “Engineers in Society” being a requirement for the fulfillment of the course MNE 201 under the theme “Globalization and Technological Advancement: The Role of Engineering Profession” the guest Speaker, a Fellow and Chairperson of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, NSE, Ondo State Chapter, Engineer Stephen Bolawole encouraged the students to think outside the box to harness their innate abilities to make relevant contributions towards the advancement of technology in the area of Engineering and power generation rather than restrict themselves to classroom knowledge which he noted was not sufficient for the level of trending technological innovations globally. He emphasized that the students need to hone their skills to be classified among world leaders in the competitive field of Engineering.
Speaking specifically on the Regulatory Framework of Engineering, Engineer Bolawole explained that the root cause of lapses in the professional field of Engineering in the Country was the overdependence on government and the under exploitation of stipulated regulations guiding the profession, adding that a possible solution to the continued watering down of developmental efforts of Engineers in Nigeria was a proper administration of guiding regulations. He therefore noted that practitioners and government had a role to play in upholding the regulatory framework of the profession to protect and guide against design and fabrication irregularities marred by theft, hijack and imitation, among others.
Advising the students on thinking and dreaming big towards becoming global solution providers and problems solvers in the field of Engineering, Mr Folorunso Samuel who spoke on behalf of the Chairman, Nigeria Society of Engineers, Ondo State Chapter, encouraged the students to push themselves beyond their comfort zone and be ready to take advantage of existing knowledge for the purpose of advancing the professional field. He particularly encouraged them not to stop learning or allow fear to take over them rather to start early to build on what they had been taught to help shape them for their future leadership roles.
The Coordinator of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, Akure Zonal Office, Mr. Azeez Adedipe who enlightened them on COREN’s activities which include the regulation of the training and practice of Engineers as well as the registration of Engineering practice in Nigeria enjoined the students to make good use of the Annual Engineering Assembly for networking and brainstorming on trends and evolving issues with a view to successfully tackling them.
Earlier, the Dean of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, who also doubled as the Chief Host of the Symposium, Professor Peter Oke told the students that they were privileged to get first-hand information from experts in the field to prepare them to assume physical roles as Engineers. He urged them to discover their roles in the society and position themselves properly for consultation towards the teeming Engineering challenges facing the nation and the world at large.
Dr Olanrewaju Alaba, the course coordinator ,also noted that the symposium was to showcase the knowledge benefited by students so far in their chosen Engineering courses and further motivate them to comprehend and surpass the complexities of the Engineering field such as the origin and interrelationship of Science, Engineering and Technology, the role of Engineering Regulatory and Professional bodies, the role of Engineering in national building, as well as Education on health, safety and environmental management in Engineering science practice.
