Abuja: The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ali Rabiu, has urged engineers to deploy innovation, systems thinking, and technology-driven methodologies in the government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s insecurity challenges. Rabiu made the call during a webinar to mark the 2026 World Engineering Day celebration, with the theme: ‘Smart Engineering for a Sustainable Future through Innovation and Digitalisation.’
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Rabiu emphasized that smart engineering involves the application of advanced technologies and innovative design approaches to create systems, products, and structures that are efficient, sustainable, and interconnected. He stressed the importance of exploring how engineering can help the government deliver practical solutions to the lingering insecurity challenges facing the country, noting that Nigeria’s position in global investment rankings and ease-of-doing-business metrics is significantly influenced by safety conditions and regulatory predictability.
Rabiu warned that without urgent intervention, safety deficits will continue to undermine GDP growth, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), job creation, infrastructure sustainability, and public trust in governance. He highlighted the vital role engineers play as critical stakeholders in addressing these challenges and strengthening the foundation for economic growth and stability. Rabiu expressed his satisfaction with the representation of young engineers at the event and emphasized the importance of strengthening their capacity as they are the future of the society and the country.
He explained that the active involvement of young engineers in forward-thinking ideas is crucial, and the NSE would ensure they are positioned to stand ahead of their counterparts globally. Rabiu also emphasized the expectation for young engineers to think creatively and develop solutions that benefit the country and humanity at large. He urged them to demonstrate their readiness to carry forward the NSE’s institutional goals of promoting engineering professionalism, strengthening technical competence, and fostering good governance.
Rabiu commended UNESCO’s initiative in establishing the global platform and appreciated the sustained efforts of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) in driving the World Engineering Day programme over the years. He described the platform as instrumental in promoting engineering excellence and collaboration across borders.
The keynote speaker, Prof. Hilary Owamah, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Delta University, Abraka, stated that smart engineering driven by innovation and digitalisation remains the defining solution to Nigeria’s development challenges. Owamah emphasized that smart engineering represents the intelligent integration of engineering science, digital intelligence, data-driven systems, and sustainability principles. He pointed out that smart engineering would curb environmental degradation by enabling the design of flood-resilient infrastructure, optimizing energy consumption, real-time monitoring of water systems, and predicting structural failures before catastrophe.
Owamah called for a shift from ‘build and repair’ to ‘predict and prevent,’ and stressed the importance of education in ensuring the sustainability of smart engineering. He urged universities to produce engineers who are digitally fluent, innovation-driven, systems-oriented, and ethically grounded. Additionally, Owamah called on the NSE to intensify efforts in promoting digital competence, strengthening professional standards, encouraging research and innovation, influencing policy direction, and building global partnerships.