The Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBON) has said that the Federal Government should activate and ensure that various plants of the Ajaokuta Steel Company are functioning to boost the nation’s economy.
The President of the association, Dr. Omede Idris, made the call yesterday in Asaba as part of the resolution at the sixth edition of the presidential retreat of the association.
Dr. Omede said that government should genuinely address the activation, functionality and multiple concessions of the various plants of ASJ, adding that during the 6th Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN) Presidential Retreat, with the theme “Roles of Professionals in Economic Recovery and Growth” in Asaba, the Delta State capital, that for over 38 years since the project got under way, the economic spinner had yet to grow proportionately.
He also challenged professionals to use their vision, diplomacy, drive and inspirational capabilities to make good judgments and far reaching decisions in the interest of the profession and the nation.
Omede said that Nigeria and Nigerians must look inward and patronise her professionals, engage the professionals in both development of policy and execution of projects, adding that for increased output, professionals must be consistent in their ethical professional conduct and patriotism to the nation.
The AFBN boss assured that, “AFBN will continue to raise and create awareness and highlight the importance of professionals in her collective goal and aspirations to serve our nation for better outcome and impact through efficiency.
Speaking during the closing ceremony yesterday, the Delta State Deputy Governor, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro declared that the nation needs the participatory involvement of professionals to redirect the economy.
The state Deputy Governor, who was represented by the Executive Assistant, Boundary Matters, Office of the Deputy Governor, Chief Gweke Akudhor, said that the wealth of experience of professionals was required to salvage the nation’s dying economy.
He noted that the Federal Government has set in motion, plans to launch the economy recovery and growth, adding that the plan was designed to restore the economic growth, which will be achieved by diversification of macro-economics in energy, agriculture, science and technology.
Otuaro stated that the Delta State government was not left out in the pursuit of economic recovery and growth.
According to him, the state government, through its SMART Agenda, had been able to revitalise the various entrepreneur skills acquisition for the unemployed and have encouraged the establishment of various self sustainable jobs for her unemployed.
While noting that the presidential retreat of the professional bodies is most apt and timely, he called for the professionals’ sincere cooperation and wealth of experience in order to drive this plan.
The retreat featured various lectures touching on contemporary global challenges and implications on Nigeria’s economic development with a view on the roles of engineering in infrastructure and process industries, de-professionalisation of the labour process in the Nigerian economy, Public Private Sector Partnership as the topic for economic recovery, sustainable growth and development: the roles of banks and bankers among others.
The Speakers, Engr. Olumuyiwa Ajibola, Ola Garuba, Prof. Segun Ajimobi and Dr. Frank Odafen in their various capacities identified some of the problems currently affecting world development to include non inclusiveness policies, terrorism, unemployment, climate change and global finance necessitated by limited access to credit.
They noted that effective utilisation of engineering resources and professional inputs would immensely affect development positively in developing countries like Nigeria.
Credit: The Pointer
