By Angela Atabo
Engineering experts on Tuesday renewed their commitment to strengthening local content development and raising standards of excellence.
The experts, who said this at the Ground-breaking ceremony of the Association for Consulting Engineering in Nigeria (ACEN) Estate in Abuja, emphasised the growing need to prioritise home-grown innovation and skills development.
Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), lauded the expertise engineers bring to bear in infrastructure development in Nigeria, adding that the project geared towards reshaping Nigeria’s engineering landscape.
“There is no gain saying about our competence. Beyond the shores of Nigeria, we know we have excelled in all sectors of human endeavour.
“Our problem has been and is still the official recognition, which Nigeria is changing that narration.
“We are becoming members of the International Engineering Alliance, Washington Accord, Sydney Accord, Dublin Accord, just to make sure that we have the official recognition of our engineering expertise globally.
“In terms of local content, it is very simple. The developers are all indigenous companies. ACEN, as you know, is one of them. So, it is going to be 100 per cent local content, I guarantee you,” he said .
The President of ACEN, Kam-Salem Bukar, said that the ACEN project would host the Conference Centre, ACEN School of Consulting Engineering, Guest House and Engineering Estate in Aviation Village.
Bukar said that the project aligned with ACEN’s objective of public welfare, engineering excellence and sustainability.
“It is for every member of the public. As ACEN, we are after the engineering excellence and public welfare. So, definitely it will not be as expensive as other estates or other places of living.
“We always have the public in mind. What is most important is value for money because the three cardinal objective of our association is that of quality, integrity and sustainability.
“So, definitely it will be more affordable than any other projects or estate. As you can see by the composition of the facilities, we have everything under the same estate.
“Most especially the ACEN School of Consulting Engineering which is the major reason for the association will benefit the public. It is for training and retraining enhancing knowledge and then serving as a voice and also for the development of our country.”
Speaking on behalf of the project executors, Mr Ayokunumi Adebajo, MGE, Grandebricks Engineering Ltd., Business Development, Project Liaison Executive, said the project has the potential to become a national benchmark for affordable housing.
Adebajo assured that in spite of affordability, the developers would maintain world-class standards, noting that the initiative could serve as a reference point for both government and private developers.
“This project will be a staple that the Federal Government can actually use when it comes to affordable housing; other companies and private partners can emulate this as well,” he said.
“It won’t be a hush-hush thing. We will not be using substandard materials. We’ll meet global standards while keeping it affordable,” he noted.
He added that they would be partnering with mortgage banks particularly Federal Government-backed institutions to give buyers flexible payment options.
The ACEN Zonal Coordinator for Zone covering the North Central,
Gbenga Ajayi, described the estate as a high-value investment opportunity with 18 months completion.
“This is immediately habitable, the value will keep going up for as long as we are able to build a world-class estate here,” he said.
He highlighted the benefits of the “live-work-play” model that combines residential and office complexes within one integrated space.
“For ACEN members and the general public, this is a good place to invest. Development is moving toward this axis, and being five minutes from the airport gives it exceptional advantage.”(NAN)
