Senate President Senator David Mark has tasked the Nigerian Society of Engineers(NSE) and the Council for the regulation of Engineering in Nigeria ( COREN) to rid the profession of quacks forthwith .
Senator Mark stated that the action has become imperative in view of the unabating and intolerable incidences of collapsed buildings across the country which have claimed several lives and property.
Speaking when he played host to the executive members of NSE at the weekend in Abuja, Senator Mark said that ” cases of collapsed buildings have become embarrassment to the Engineering profession and the nation at large.
” The issue of collapsed buildings and the embarrassment have continued because perpetrators have not been adequately punished. People must be punished for wrong doings. The NSE and COREN must take up this fight and rid the profession of fakes”.
Senator Mark believes that Nigeria can boast of capable Engineers who can compete favorably with their counterparts any where in the World and wondered why quakes still operate within them in Nigeria.
The National Assembly and indeed theFederal Government he promised will make deliberate efforts to encourage Nigerian Engineers pointing out that local content law was designed to promote the nation’s Engineers to ensure quality and meet international standard.
Earlier, the Deputy President of NSE, Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi who stood in for the President Mustafa Balarabe Shehu urged the Senate President to intervene in the shoddy implementation of the Nigerian content policy aspect of the privatization of the power sector allegedly skewed in favour of foreigners.
According to NSE :” it has come to our knowledge that in one of the privatized entities most of the top management staff were brought in from outside the country while there are available Nigerians who can adequately do the job.
“The Federal Government therefore needs to have a close watch so that the existence of the country will be adequately protected . Such protection must also cover purchases of power installations manufactured in our country against the current practice as players have consistently preferred importation over local finished products.”
