Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the difficult but very crucial decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu are targeted at engineering an economy that works for all Nigerians.
Shettima said this on Wednesday during the 15th Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture (MEDL), held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
The Vice-President also said that Tinubu’s administration is taking accurate measurements of revenues, deficits and prospects to move the nation forward.
He likened the art of governance to the dexterity of engineers who work with machines and structures to transform theories into measurable outcomes.
“His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, is himself a man of numbers. An accountant extraordinaire, a thinker grounded in the discipline of evidence, and a leader governed by the clarity of facts.
“He understands the peril of building policies on the sands of assumption.
“He knows, as you do, that the nation cannot move forward without accurate measurement of its revenues, its deficits, and its prospects.”
On the theme of the lecture, “the Imperative of Engineering Strategies for the Planning of National Budget,” Shettima said it aligns with the thinking being institutionalised by the Tinubu administration.
He added that the administration is not just budgeting for survival but also for transformation and reality.
“We are budgeting for transformation. We are building systems that speak to productivity, to sustainability, and to prosperity.
” It is the fidelity to facts that has guided his difficult but necessary decisions to fix the Nigerian economy.
“From confronting the longstanding subsidy regime that had become an enduring shackle around the nation’s ambitions, to facing the grim realities of a debt-to-revenue ratio that threatened the very foundation of our fiscal stability.
“These are not decisions of convenience. They are decisions of courage. They are born of a commitment to engineer a nation that works for its people,” he maintained.
While delivering the 15th mechanical engineering distinguished lecture, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, spoke about current efforts and opportunities across diverse areas of the Nigerian economy.
He particularly listed energy and power generation, oil and gas, automotive, aerospace and aviation, construction and infrastructure development as well as healthcare and security.
He also noted the tremendous potential for socio-economic development in the country.
Omisore empahaised the need for the government, in collaboration with other stakeholders like the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, to address challenges and seize existing opportunities to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth.
On his part, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Bisi Akande, emphasised the impact of engineering on national development.
Akande urged leaders to sustain current efforts to maintain integrity and professionalism in the industry.
He highlighted the impact of digital technology on engineering practice and urged practitioners to embrace the paradigm shift in order to remain relevant in the industry.
On her part, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Margaret Oguntala, said the theme of the lecture, aligned with the reality in the polity.
Represented by a former President of NSE, Kashim Ali, she noted that an era of complex challenges amidst declining resources require a meticulous re-examination of national priorities and optimal utilization of scarce resources, deploying engineering expertise.
She commended the commitment and contributions of the leadership of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE).
She urged the body to make its impact felt across the entire engineering sector in the country.
In his remarks, the National Chairman NIMechE, Alhassan Mohammed, said the event provides a platform for interaction among professionals on a topic that resonates with the realities in the polity.
He urged participants at the event to reflect deeply on engineering practice in Nigeria, particularly how engineering can be embedded in the country’s national development plans and targets. (NAN)
