Mr Chris Okoye, Chairman, Board of Fellows, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), has called on highway engineers to harness the opportunities that abound in the transportation sector reform.
Okoye made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the investiture of Mr Obiekwe Anaduaka as the second National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers (NIHTE).
The event also witnessed the inauguration of the 2017 National Executive Committee of NIHTE.
Okoye said the call became necessary following the successes recorded in efforts to reform the highway and transportation sector of the economy.
“With the reform, the highway and transportation sector will not only be seen as social sector but also, as a commercial commodity,’’ he said.
He commended the National Assembly for its understanding and efforts to reform the highway and transportation sector, adding that the various bills on the sector were at advance stages.
Okoye said: “In spite of the amount being spent on the transport sector annually, we have not recorded any significant progress because we have failed to do what we are supposed to do.
“The state of the roads are bad because there have been lack of sustainable funding for its maintenance.
“We are lucky to have a National Assembly that is taking the bull by the horn by not only being focused, but also, ready to drive the sector.”
He urged the new leadership of NIHTE to embark on aggressive capacity building of its members to provide them with the needed engineering services following the reform.
“We must adopt and embrace manual method of road rehabilitation because with the reform, a lot of projects will be under the local government,” he said.
In his remarks, Anaduaka, who pledged to consolidate on the achievements recorded by his predecessor, Mr Isa Emoabino, solicited the support of members to enable him achieve the desired goals.
He said that NIHTE, a division of the NSE was established in 2013 to look after the professional needs of its members through well-structured programme and regular interaction.
He pledged to upgrade the division through organistaion of public lectures, workshops and seminars.
He added that NIHTE had been recognised by the National Assembly as a major stakeholder in the transport sector.
“In fact NIHTE is presently participating actively in the consideration and processing of the bills for Federal Road Authority and National Transport Commission.
“Representatives of NIHTE are presently serving in the various technical committees set up to fine tune the bills after public hearing,” he said. (NAN)