The misplacement of priorities and putting the wrong people in positions where expertise was needed in Nigeria society has been described as the greatest disservice to the technological and economic advancement of the country.
The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Dr. Dayo Oladebeye made this assertion at the third Engineering week of the School of Engineering of the Institution, which started on Monday 17th September, 2018.
Dr. Oladebeye who opined that while it is hardly possible to have a non medical practitioner as a Minister of Health, or a non Lawyer as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, felt pained that Nigeria cannot have the best result in situations where you have non certified Engineers as Ministers of work, power etc.
“What we have in this part of the world is misplaced political appointments where round pegs, no matter how brilliant, are placed in square holes, this certainly cannot take us to the Promised Land” Dr. Oladebeye said.
He however challenged Nigerian Engineers to brainstorm and proffer lasting solutions for the myriads and plethora of Engineering challenges bedeviling the nation as the challenges are definitely not insurmountable.
“ I strongly believe that if intellectuals can put heads together, there will definitely emerge a bright way forward in our journey to economic and technological advancement, as engineering plays a vital role in surmounting our economic problems and also helps in the quest for global advancement” he noted.
Earlier in his welcome address, Engr. Sunday Faluyi. The Dean of the School of Engineering called on Engineers to rise up and put smile on the faces of the populace by providing solutions to the myriads of engineering problems confronting the Nigeria society.
He also emphasised that engineers can also come to the aid of the teeming unemployed youth by replicating employment opportunities for them by engaging them in their firms.