Works minister David Umahi has said engineers are critical stakeholders in the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of revolutionising road infrastructure in Nigeria.

Mr Umahi made this known while receiving the president of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Margaret Oguntala, in his office in Abuja.

The minister maintained that engineering best practices and creative innovations are the centrepiece of the policy direction of the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu.

The minister noted the important role of the NSE as an umbrella organisation for engineers.

He commended the efforts of the NSE leadership in enforcing strict standards and professional ethics among its members, as well as in advancing the interests of the engineering profession in Nigeria.

The minister expressed his commitment to enhancing engineers’ welfare, strengthening technical capacity, and accelerating infrastructure development nationwide.

The ministry’s permanent secretary, Olufunsho Adebiyi, also reiterated the government’s readiness to partner with the NSE across all agreed-upon areas of collaboration.

Earlier, Ms Oguntala said the leadership of NSE visited the  minister to formally notify him of the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of NSE to be held in Ibadan in December.

Ms Oguntala underscored the importance of a more strategic partnership between the NSE and the ministry, particularly in building the capacity of engineers in the ministry’s workforce.

She called for the expansion of NSE’s ongoing training programmes targeted at both young and experienced Engineers, which have been running consistently since last year.

She also sought the ministry’s support in providing industrial training opportunities for engineering students and arranging placements for engineering graduates among corps members to help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical field experience.

Highlighting NSE’s readiness to design and deliver customised training modules to meet the ministry’s specific needs, the NSE president proposed joint initiatives on community-based engineering projects.

This, she said, aimed to utilise engineering solutions to improve local livelihoods.

(NAN)