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General News

Panacea to Improved Engineering Services In Nigeria

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Akan Michael, chairman, NIEEE, Lagos Chapter.
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The desire to formulate standard is an intent by a profession to work within a defined and agreed rules and guidelines for improved safety, product quality and service delivery.

Here in Nigeria, we believe we can thrive and profit more where there is no standard and this may not be far from the truth for those that undermines standards. Lack of standard undermines product and service quality and also clients’ safety and satisfaction.

There are several Institutions and bodies from different countries of the world bandying different standards.

However, in all there is a convergent point. The European community has been able to harmonize its standards in practically all fields of endeavor and USA will naturally key in while independently setting a parallel and higher standards for herself.

The most important and generally accepted electrical engineering standard is that of International Electro -Technical Commission, IEC.

Every country of the world is expected to domicile these standards. In doing so, the underline and basic element remains unchanged with only minor variation to meet the country’s environmental condition, cultural and social needs.

Countries subscribe to the Commission with offices of the president and secretary to administer the operations. In Nigeria, the National Electro-Technical Committee, NEC contact office is at Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, Lagos. Their operation is ad hoc.

Apart from IEC, The International Bureau of Weights and Measures, BIPM is subscribed by nations of the world as well.

Nigeria lost it lower cadet membership due to her inability to sustain her commitment. Member countries are expected to establish the National Metrology Institute in their countries.

NMI in every country handles basic elements of Time and Frequency, Mass, Electricity, Chemistry, Thermometry, Ionizing Radiation, Length and Photometry and Radiometry which are referenced to BIPM in France.

The establishment of the lab is under construction at Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos. The project is counter funded by UNIDO.

It was abandoned for many years but work has resumed and is in progress. The ground breaking ceremony was done recently by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, secretary to the Federal Government.

SON currently uses a mini or makeshift Metrology Lab pending when the one at Ikeja is commissioned.

The lab will aid in instrument certifications mismanaged by local firms and also save billions of naira in such services rendered by overseas companies. This will greatly enhance service delivery in the country.

However, standard formulation is not the responsibility of SON; they only coordinate or facilitate such process for stakeholders because stakeholders have failed to take up this responsibility in fashioning out standards.

Persons who are concerned about safety, quality of product and services in a particular field and have found the need to address and uphold it are usually the initiators.

They will craft the draft and send it to SON. SON will forward it to all stakeholders for input. The document is worked on till final document agreeable to all is produced and adopted.  The document is reviewed from time to time. SON is doing good job filling this gap for all.

The challenges of formulating standards are enormous leaving us as a profession without engineering standards.

Standards formulation requires concerted efforts from stakeholders. The following amount to some of the reasons why standard formulation is a challenge;

Attitudinal: Anything that will regulate our life, change our thinking and the way we do things are usually resisted whether it is for good or bad.

Standard is resisted by politicians, engineering personnel, quacks and everyone benefitting from the status quo.

Documentation: Formulation of standard is a product of research and documented experience. Because field experiences are not documented, experts most time do not logically buttress their positions and draw conclusion on issue of standard.

It is always, even more so, difficult to identify these experts who may sometime not affiliate with professional bodies. They carve a niche for themselves and do their works unnoticed thus, ending up with the years of undocumented industrial experience. When issues on standard are discussed, they seem to be left out for comments and inputs. Documented field experience is the basis for standard formulation.

Academic: There is usually an erroneous belief that the university professor is best suited to develop standard. The truth is the end user; the craftsman, technician, technologist and allied professionals make more inputs than any other. When they are not trained to document their job process the result remain what we have now.

However, we cannot ignore the work of subjecting these field experiences to scientific analysis to produce result which can stand up to close inspection as done by the academic. The academic must also have a tinge of field experience to enhance his work. There must be empirical evidence to support his results. This is grossly lacking.

Funding: Research requires funding but many in this part of world believe it should be sacrificial and selfless. Funding can come from government, corporate organizations, NGOs, Institution itself etc. It is very important to note that every Institution or professional body is supposed to be self- sustaining. Professional bodies build capacity through due, levy and donation.

When we join foreign professional bodies (there is nothing wrong about that if we are equally committed to the local body here) we fund their research with our annual dues, levies and donations. They develop and continue to improve those standards we have to subscribe to. IEC has over 2000 electrical standards which are not cheap to subscribe.

If we have to domicile just 10 of such standards the cost could be enormous for an Institution that has no sustainable income to bear.  The cost of working the document by all stakeholders to become an acceptable standard to domicile will have to be included to determine the total and real cost for such an exercise.

Indigenous Technology: We must develop our technology, apply the standards so formulated to it and gradually enlarge and expand it. When we import engineering equipment from different countries, they come with different technical standards of country of origin.

This has made Nigeria a pool of technical standards without any standard. Engineering practice in Nigeria is in disarray, completely comatose by lack of standards and the many Original Equipment Manufacturers, OEM, from Asia, Europe and America will continue to dump their products here with their standards.

Since standard is a global issue we can align ourselves to IEC’s standard to produce our standard and that is expected of every nation like us.

Intellectual laxity: There seem to be intellectual laxity and lack of focus concerning this issue. Companies where draft copy of the documents are forwarded to as stakeholders for comment and input, sometimes keep it for use and make no input.

You can rightly say they have nothing to contribute because there is no documented experience or better still are not interested about developing another standard that will not be in tangent to their products standards.

Haven highlighted this, wide spread and coordinated approach is needed to address this problem. While the Nigerian Society of Engineers through its Codes and Standards Committee is playing its part, the Divisions or Institutions under it have greater roles to play.

Standards formulations require the involvement of all cadets of engineering personnel and the present engineering structures or Institutions should evolve with capacity to accommodate all so as to enable professionals at all level to be identified to address the problem of engineering standards in the country.

Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN whose responsibilities include regulating, monitoring and control of engineering practice will have to continue to wait till these standards are ready for it to function effectively.

Engineer Akan Michael is the chairman, Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (NIEEE) Lagos Chapter. He can be reached via akanmichael@yahoo.com

 


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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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NASRDA, Galaxy Space Firm Sign MoU on Satellite Connectivity

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National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)  with Galaxy Space, Chinese LEO satellite player,  to deploy direct‑to‑device (D2D) satellite services nationwide by the end of this year.

NASRDA, Galaxy Space Firm Sign MoU on Satellite Connectivity

According to media reports, Galaxy Space will integrate its LEO satellite constellation into Nigeria’s telecom grid, which will allow existing smartphones and laptops to link directly to the satellites.

The MoU also covers technology‑transfer programmes, joint R&D labs and the co‑production of a CubeSat by Nigerian engineers.

Apart from the benefit of enabling mobile coverage outside of terrestrial network range,  Dr Matthew Adepoju, director- general, NASRDA, said the deal with GalaxySpace would enable Nigeria to build up its domestic space technology sector.

“It is no longer acceptable that we must import every single device we need,” he told the News Agency of Nigera. “The time has come for us to produce our own technologies here at home.”

GalaxySpace, which designs and manufactures its own LEO satellites, currently has a test constellation of seven LEO satellites in orbit, and has said its “Mini-Spider” constellation will eventually comprise up to 1,000 satellites.

GalaxySpace said  it has also signed multi-tier partnerships in Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Last year, it also signed a deal with Hong Kong carrier PCCW Global to integrate its LEOsat connectivity with PCCW’s worldwide network, giving it access to over 3,000 cities across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.


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IHS Nigeria, United Nations Global Compact Host High-Level Dialogue on Sustainability and Greener Business Practices in Nigeria

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L-r: Group Head, Climate and Finance Sustainability, Bank of Industry, Lanre Babalola, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN Group, Oyeronke Oyetunde, Head of programmmes, UN Global Compact Network Nigeria, Gloria Okorie (Moderator), Director, Sustainability, IHS Nigeria, Titilope Oguntuga, Head, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Wema Bank, Abimbola Agbejule after their panel session on Collaborative Strategies for Greener Business Practices, Innovation and Sustainable Development at a private sector dialogue on Environmental Stewardship organised by the United Nation Global Compact Network Nigeria in Partnership with IHS Nigeria, in commemoration of 2025 World Environment Day.
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IHS Nigeria, in collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria, hosted a high-level private sector dialogue themed “Collaborative Strategies for Greener Business Practices, Innovation and Sustainable Development”.

The event, held in Lagos, brought together key players from different sectors including finance, law, telecommunications, biodiversity, and corporate sustainability to explore actionable pathways to achieve meaningful environmental stewardship in Nigeria.

The panel session offered bold perspectives on integrating sustainability into business frameworks across different sectors, whilst dispelling myths, and highlighting opportunities for organizations, and calling for collective action from all players within the business value chain.

Delivering a keynote address, Titilope Oguntuga, Director, Sustainability at IHS Nigeria, emphasized the urgency of environmental consciousness: “Sustainability is not a destination — it’s a collective journey.

“It requires courage to transform, vision to lead, and collaboration to scale. Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We can either be overwhelmed by the risks or rise to become a beacon of green innovation and inclusive growth in Africa. The choice is ours — and the time is now.”

Sylvie Josel, Lead, Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions at the United Nations Global Compact, joined virtually from New York and spotlighted nature as a strategic asset:

“Nature must no longer be treated as an afterthought. It underpins everything, from human rights to supply chains. Embedding biodiversity into a company’s core strategy isn’t just a risk mitigation measure; it’s a smart, future-forward business imperative”.

Lanre Babalola, Group Head, Climate Finance and Sustainability at the Bank of Industry (BOI), provided insights into how BOI is funding sustainable ventures and driving innovation: “We look beyond profitability; we look at environmental and social impact. Whether it’s plastic roads, biogas, or solar transitions, we support businesses that are not only bankable but capable of reshaping the future.”

From the legal perspective, Oyeronke Oyetunde, General Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN Group, drew attention to the regulatory challenges hindering sustainability adoption: “Our legal frameworks are trailing behind today’s sustainability realities. We need forward-thinking laws, reduced regulatory silos, and incentives that reward the right behavior. Sustainability can’t thrive where enforcement is weak, and taxation is excessive.”

Abimbola Agbejule, Head, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility at Wema bank, spoke passionately about inclusiveness in sustainable development: “You don’t need to start big to make impact. MSMEs make up a huge part of our economy. Sustainability should be embedded in their day-to-day activities, and we must democratize access to knowledge, tools, and partnerships.”

The session was moderated by Gloria Okorie, Head of Programs at the United Nations Global Impact Center.

The event closed with a resounding call to action for stronger legal frameworks, deeper collaborations, and inclusive capacity building across sectors. The event further reinforces IHS Nigeria’s position as a leader in corporate sustainability and innovation in Nigeria.

“At IHS Nigeria, we recognize that true progress happens when sustainability is not an obligation, but a culture, lived every day, across every unit,” Titilope Oguntuga added.

Through initiatives like this dialogue, IHS Nigeria and its partners continue to champion solutions that protect the planet, empower people, and ensure long-term business viability.


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Bridging the Digital Divide: Over 700 Young Africans Empowered by Paradigm Initiative

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Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading digital rights and inclusion nonprofit, has revealed in its 2024 Annual Impact Report that over 707 young individuals across 11 African countries have been empowered through its flagship LIFE Legacy Programme.

The initiative delivers training in life skills, ICT, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship—transforming underserved communities across the continent.

In 2024, the LIFE Legacy Programme ran 25 training cohorts across Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Sudan, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Senegal, 60 laptops were distributed to local partners, while digital literacy programmes were launched in schools in Cameroon and Tanzania through the LIFE@School initiative.

PIN advanced its advocacy by supporting 29 legal cases in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. A notable success was the landmark judgment in Molehin v. UBA, where the bank was found guilty of violating data privacy laws.

PIN’s research and media efforts made powerful waves. The Londa digital rights report, covering 26 countries, was downloaded 8,457 times. Its fourth short film, Undersight, recorded nearly one million views on YouTube. PIN also developed an AI strategy report with TrustLaw and collaborated with the Centre for Democratic Technology to assess content moderation policies for Kiswahili across Kenya and Tanzania. A separate report highlighted the troubling deployment of surveillance technologies across Africa, which was referenced in direct advocacy engagements with a telecom operator.

The organisation’s advocacy also contributed to the adoption of the African Commission’s Resolution 580, which urges governments to avoid Internet shutdowns during elections—strengthening digital freedom across the continent.

Meanwhile, the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) convened in Accra attracted 1,004 delegates from 61 countries, strengthening regional collaboration and amplifying the voice of civil society. PIN’s strategic communications pushed its media reach to 1.43 billion and social media engagement to 8.8 million.

Alongside training and policy efforts, the organisation inspired young changemakers through youth-focused campaigns and hosted seven fellows under the Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) fellowship.

Crowning a year of impact, PIN earned the maiden PrivCon Privacy Award in Nigeria and was recognised in the Social Innovation Category at the Nigeria Innovation Awards for its work connecting African youth to digital opportunity.


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