The Minister of Communications, Barrister Abdul-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, has said the federal government is set to get a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) university up and running.
He said the idea behind the ICT university which will be the first of its kind in Africa, was informed by the low-ranking status of Nigeria in terms of development when compared to other African countries.
He said since "ICT has become the greatest enabler of today, and the future prosperity of tomorrow", it was high time Nigeria filled the gap in the ICT industry by taking its rightful place in terms of acquiring requisite knowledge.
Speaking on the Nigerian Academy of Engineering 2017 Annual lecture, which also included the induction of new fellows and life achievement awards which was held at the University of Lagos, the minister called on the academy to partner with the ministry of communications in setting up this university which he assured, will be "run as a public-private partnership".
He said, "I want to invite your academic to partner with the ministry of communications in the setting up of this ICT university of Nigeria.
"If your academy is disposed to, we are prepared to cede one of the campus of the six campuses to you, so we can jointly run it to ensure that we get the best ICT training".
Acknowledging the mammoth of tertiary institutions where engineering is taught in Nigeria, the minister said they are not enough and that the federal government will continue to emphasize on the need for more technological training.
He said he would always do his best as an intermediary between the academy and the presidency for whatever networking or contact the academy might need to further it interests.
Corroborating the Minister of Communications, Professor Michael Adewumi, while delivering a lecture titled: "Training Engineers for the Global Century", said he believes Nigeria need to train globally-competitive and locally-relevant engineers.
He said in order to achieve that, the tutelage of engineering in Nigeria needs to surmount the problems of one-dimensional training, ignorance of local context, and the expectation of employment in multinationals upon graduation.
Proffering more solutions, the Pennsylvania State University lecturer, maintained that local knowledge must be integrated by not ignoring the gift, skills and knowledge that students have been able to gather.
"To train a successful engineer, we must have a seamless integration between what they already experience and what they need to know.
"For example, while teaching gaming theory or probability, why not focus on the game of 'Ayo' instead of baseball", he said.
He also said three-dimensional education which involves diversifying the curriculum, as well as creative application of solutions from the local to global stage is essential if Nigeria is to have locally-relevant engineers.
Meanwhile, former minister of Works and Housing, Senator Barnabas Germade, who was inducted at the event, lauded the selection process, and said that "it is the application of engineering laws that qualifies one to become a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering".
He hoped that the induction will only inspire him and the Seven others, to do more in promoting engineering practice and to support all forms of development that engineering fosters.
posted from Bloggeroid
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