In reaction to the recent floods that would probably be caused by the discharge of the Lagdo dam in Cameroon, the Nigeria Society of Engineers has encouraged the Federal Government to take into consideration building new dams along the River Niger and River Benue.
In certain places, flooding has turned into a persistent issue, and the NSE thinks that building more dams may effectively lessen the effects of floods.
Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, the NSE president, made the announcement during a news conference on Monday in Abuja.
According to reports, Umar Salisu, Director of African Affairs at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated in a letter dated August 21, 2023, that the ministry had received information on the dam’s opening from the High Commission of Cameroon.
The note verbale from the High Commission of the Republic of Cameroon informing the ministry that Cameroonian officials have decided to open the flood gates of the Lagdo Dam on the Benue River in the coming days due to the intense rainfall around the dam catchment area in Northern Cameroon was part of the letter that was addressed to the National Emergency Management Agency.
Gidari-Wudil, who spoke at the ceremony, emphasised that the dam’s construction should be a top priority while also advocating for the dredging of significant rivers to lessen siltation and sedimentation.
Gidari-Wudil, who spoke at the ceremony, emphasised that the dam’s construction should be a top priority while also advocating for the dredging of significant rivers to lessen siltation and sedimentation.
He declared, “Floods are one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in the world, taking people and destroying infrastructure and property.
“Floods in Nigeria affect and uproot more people each year than any other calamity.
“Several committees were established by the federal government and the several flood-affected states following the 2012 flooding event.
The Federal Government also established a Presidential Committee on Flood Disasters in November 2022. The committees were tasked with doing research and creating detailed action plans to stop flood catastrophes in Nigeria.
The committees’ studies’ recommendations have not yet been completely implemented as of right now.
He added urged the government to enforce current laws and pass new ones to safeguard the environment from human activity, including that caused by urbanisation, industrialization, and climate change.
Gidari-Wudil blamed the involvement of the private sector for the country’s ongoing building failures, accusing them of undercutting building standards by utilising unskilled labourers in the construction process.
“If you take the statistics of building collapse in the nation over the last 20 years, government buildings are only 10% involved in collapse; the private sectors are compromising,” he continued.
Because experts are used in government projects, they are more expensive than private projects, where costs are typically negotiated down and non-engineers are used instead. Only a small percentage of building collapses in this nation involve our members, and when we learn about them, we take action to censure them.
For instance, three engineering firms collaborated on the Ikoyi building collapse project. The best course of action is to analyse every engineering failure at NSE, he added.
The NSE director said President Bola Tinubu appointed three engineers in his ministerial portfolios, adding that the figure was egregiously insufficient given that there were eight ministries with an engineering focus.
He also urged Tinubu to consider increasing the number, stating, “We hold the strong conviction that only engineers will function optimally in engineering ministries.”
Speaking on the elimination of fuel subsidies, he claimed that despite widespread societal support, sufficient safeguards were not put in place to lessen the impact on Nigerians. The NSE president said that the organisation has partnered with the Federal Government’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy in order to create an innovation hub that would one day become Nigeria’s “Silicon Valley”
The NSE Smart Innovation Hub is intended to serve as a catalyst for a digital Nigeria as the world enters the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), in line with the federal government’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
“Recognising that a SMART office project is a developing problem that needs time and ongoing progress, I have established a trustee to take on the necessary tasks to complete the project.
The “NSE SMART INNOVATION HUB” would be formally opened on September 13, 2023, he said, adding that he was “pleased to announce to you that we have reached an appreciable stage.”
He continued, saying that the hub would be a model to have a beneficial influence on the economic and technical growth of the nation, and that it would work as a focus for research and development on technology and innovation concerns as well as for strengthening the business.
He said that it would also have a lab for artificial intelligence, the internet of things, automation, and engineering, as well as an e-library and virtual and physical offices.
