ECN Visit: NEC Headquarters
to Get Boost to Solar
Power Installations
Madam President, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE
delivering her speech
T
he President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr.
Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE has recorded a milestone with a
direct posi ve response to the fi h pillar of the NSE Strategic
Agenda, being Improved Community Impact, as the Energy
Commission of Nigeria (ECN) pledges support in achieving green,
zero-carbon-emission environment at the Na onal Engineering
Centre (NEC) Headquarters, Abuja.
During a courtesy visit to the Director General of ECN, Dr. Abdullahi
Mustapha, on Thursday, April 4, 2024, Madam President invited the
Commission to be part of efforts of the Society in expanding the
renewable energy project already commissioned at the NEC
Headquarters. The visit was in part fulfilment of the objec ves of
NSE, to engage in collabora ons with government agencies with a
view to contribu ng to the holis c development of the country.
It will be recalled that the NEC Headquarters Phase II is currently
equipped with 100KVA solar installa ons as alterna ve source of
power. With this partnership arrangement secured, the installa on is
expected to be upscaled with addi onal installa ons. This is one of
the items amongst several which Madam President presented to the
DG, ECN for considera on for collabora on, all of which she received
endorsement for.
In her speech, Madam President explained that her administra on
has a five-pillar agenda that it is running with. She said, “…the fi h
pillar, being Improved Community Impact, has direct correla on with
the mandate of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, this is why I am
seizing this opportunity to express my utmost apprecia on, on behalf
of the Council of NSE, to the management of ECN for acceding to the
request made by NSE during the tenure of the last administra on, for
a collabora ve venture between NSE and ECN, the ini a ve was set
towards actualising our dream of achieving a green, zero-carbon-
emission environment at the Na onal Engineering Centre (NEC)
Headquarters.”
The President also requested for collabora ons on the NSE Smart
Innova on hub adding that this was crucial especially that NSE is
spear-heading the adapta on of curricula and teaching methods to
ensure that engineering professionals and students are innova ve.
Addi onally, she said that training programmes were being created
and developed to upskill and reskill NSE members to meet the
th
demands of the 4 Industrial Revolu on (4IR), no ng that the NSE
Smart Innova on Hub was established to meet those set goals.
According to her, the project is a model for engineering innova on
which comprises of an Engineering Laboratory; Ar ficial Intelligence
(AI)/Internet of Things (IoT) Laboratory; Virtual Offices, SMART
Physical offices, e-library and other training facili es. “This project
will create an enabling environment for innova ons, research,
product development, business development, as well as
entrepreneurship training for engineers and other stakeholders”, she
noted.
Similarly, Engr. Oguntala requested partnership from ECN on the
2024 Na onal Engineering Conference. She emphasized on the
importance of the annual event saying “one of the special purpose
vehicles for achieving the objec ves of our organisa on, especially
with regards to acquisi on and improvement of technology as well as
incuba ng innova ons in engineering, is the Annual Na onal
Engineering Conference and Exhibi on, Workshops and Seminars, as
well as publica on of Technical Journals.
“I am pleased to inform you that the theme for the 2024 edi on of the
Na onal Engineering Conference and Exhibi on is “Sustainable
Engineering Solu ons to Food Security and Climate Change”, the
Council of NSE carefully considered and approved the theme for the
conference to reflect the yearning of the President and Commander-
in-Chief to achieve sustainable food security for Nigeria in his tenure”.
Director General of ECN, Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha, in his response,
assured Madam President of the commitment of the Commission on
collabora ng with NSE in the areas men oned and in many other
areas in future. He thanked NSE for the various symbio c
arrangements with NSE in the past and appreciated NSE for the
confidence reposed in ECN.
He said: “Madam President, there is no NO in my dic onary. Part of
our mandates at ECN is to promote energy efficiency and to upscale
the use of renewable energy in every part of the country. I'm happy
that you men oned that you have 100KVA already installed. Our
aim is to go completely net zero. So, when we hear about an
organisa on already moving towards net zero, we are le with no
op on than to support. I am also happy that you men oned that
there has been an arrangement between ECN and NSE in that
regard before I came in. I will demand a report from the Director,
Renewable Energy on the status of the discussions. Once we know
that, we will ensure that we upscale and complete that project
quickly”.
NSE President and the Director General/Chief Executive Energy Commission of Nigeria
Group Photograph after the Meeting
Dr. Mustapha went further to say: “For the conference, we will be
there. We are not just going to be there; we will be there to support
you. Maybe we will require another le er detailing the specific
aspects of support that you need, whether in the areas of
facilita on, paper presenta on and monetary support. In fact, we
want ECN logo to fly conspicuously as one of the Strategic Partners
or Sponsors of the conference”.
On the team of Madam President was the Deputy President of NSE,
Engr. Ali Alimasuya Rabiu, FNSE, MFR; Vice President,
Collabora ons and Linkages, Engr. Bemigho Ofoeyeno, FNSE; Engr.
Wilson Ali; Director of Membership Services, Engr. Babatunde
Odunlami, FNSE, and Engr. Emmanuel Ejika, MNSE.
A er the exchange of speeches by the two
CEOs, the ECN DG paved way for a brief
interac on session between Madam President
and the ECN Engineers in the top management.
During the session, the President elucidated on
the ma er of proper placement of Engineers in
the civil service.
Similarly, the Deputy President explained the
issue of engineering curriculum update in the
country's citadels of learning, no ng Nigeria's
efforts on the quest for interna onal level
recogni on, including ensuring that the country
was at parity with other advanced countries like
the provisional membership of the Washington
Accord.
Also, the management of ECN expressed their
desire for NSE to take special interest in the
development of Solar Water Heaters being
undertaken by ECN at their Nsukka and Sokoto
research outlets. The job crea on aspect and
economic benefit of the
project to the na onal economy were
eminently highlighted.