The Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Ajaokuta branch, has said that the giant Steel Project in the area has slept for too long and that it was high time they woke her up from its slumber.
Abraham Aghadike, the current chairman, made the observation during the 2021 Engineering Week held recently at the Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd complex, Ajaokuta, Kogi State, adding that despite the setback brought by Covid-19 and the spate of insecurity across the country they were able to celebrate this year’s event.
He said that the Annual Engineering Week also provides members a golden opportunity as professionals to relate with the larger society in order to get the necessary feedback that is key to improving their performances.
“Above all, it is a time for us to get together and relax, away from our daily work schedules, in the knowledge that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” Aghadike said.
On Human Capital Development, Aghadike said bearing in mind that advancement can be deduced from the sum total of physical and intellectual capacities of its human capital, NSE decided to embark on a series of relevant and applicable training programmes.
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“We organised an AutoCAD Training for beginners. The training was well attended and we have received several requests for the training to be repeated. Plans are underway to organise the second batch of the training,” he said.
The Chairman equally disclosed that in a bid to empower their spouses, the group organised a liquid soap production for their spouses. Participants were taken through the chemistry of soap making, the required constituents, mixing ratios, constituents addition to king, safety measures and other vital information needed to have a quality soap.
The training was highly successful and some of the liquid soap produced was on display at the business exhibition.
The Chairman told our correspondent that the training elicited so much interest and that they have received several demands that the scope should be expanded and not limited to their spouses.
“As we commence another year, we intend to step up in our tainting programme. Apart from the aforementioned programme, we also intend to organise Micro processor programming training, Air-freshener and Insecticide production training, fish and snail farming training, among others. It is our intention to empower as many people in our neighbourhood as possible,” he said.
Aghadike also said that the Sole Administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd Sumaila Abdul-Akaba has on several occasions admonished Engineers to be practical and come up with simple solutions to day-day problems of their immediate community, adding that with that they decided to look inwards and develop products that they can produce and make available in the marketplace, stressing that work has reached advanced stage in some of the projects submitted by the intellectual members, and that in no distant time their products will flood the market.
He listed some of the products to include Multi-tap Welding Machine, Wireless Equipment Controller, Liquid Soap Mixing Reactor and Home Automation Device, as he solicited for massive patronage.
He recalled that this was how the Japanese, Koreans, Singapore and other so-called Asian Tigers started.
On youth development, Aghadike pointed out that Ajaokuta NSE strongly believe that youths are the future of the nation, as they execute programmes that are geared towards building up the physical and intellectual capacities of Nigerian youths.
“Over the years the branch has maintained a JAMB Lesson Centre to help prepare our youth for the National JAMB Exams. It is on record and can be verified independently that the Ajaokuta branch JAMB lesson centre has always produced the candidate with the highest score in JAMB in Ajaokuta environs. This year was not exceptional as one of our candidates, Young Prosper Alonge scored 312 marks in a JAMB that was generally characterised by very low scores. In order to encourage students’ enrollment in the JAMB lessons, the branch has decided, beginning from this year, to institute an Annual Award for candidate with best JAMB score in Ajaokuta centre,” he said.
