By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Experts in the engineering sector have called for development of safe legal option migration framework to address professional emigration especially through global skills transfer out the country.
The call was made at the 1st Engr. Charles Mbanefo Memorial Lecture in Abuja in Abuja recently.
The theme of the lecture was ‘Rising Emigration of Professionals and Impact on Nigeria’s Development, a case study of Engineers.
Delivering a lecture at the event, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, said many Nigerians are leaving the country for greener pastures and for higher professional development.
She said engineers were not left out in this ongoing trend especially as Nigeria has become a signatory to the Washington Accord adding that more Nigerian engineers would still leave the country.
“We must have a safe and legal option of migration especially through global skills transfer where we can agree with some defavoured countries of destination.
“We will send you these people help us develop them and give the the skills we need for development and they will also earn money and they will come back and that is what we need to make progress.
“And I think it’s a time for us to go back to not just on paper in terms of public private partnership but have public private partnership based on triple helix where you have the University the industry, the private sector and the government.
“It is important they come together to address the skills gap and then importantly improve living wage because as you can see from statistics over 52 per cent of persons have immigrated are going there because of better wage.
Ezeilo further pointed out other issues that had triggered the migration of citizens to include insecurity, under funding of educational sector obsolete equipment,out dated curriculum.
“We are having reversal of those brain gains we have gained in the last two decades or so we are beginning to fast loss all of them because they are going for better living wage.
“So I think the government must address as a matter of urgency living wage and the politicians who are wrecking this country they must be held accountable.
“We must address the hydra headed issue of corruption because people divert money that could have gone into the educational sector, monies that could have gone into building skills that are globally competitive.
“Monies that would have gone into creating massive jobs for youths, people graduate for a decade they are still looking for jobs engineers are under employed and we are talking about local content.
“We have to ensure effective implementation of local content and we must know that the best way to address this problem is through good governance and fast tracking infrastructural development.”
“The bridging the gaps between urban rural divide even in terms of income inequalities and ensuring inclusion and that people get things on merit.” Ezeilo said.
She paid glowing tribute to late Charles Mbanefo who she said was part of the people that designed and constructed the Federal Capital Territory and left his mark in the history of the FCT.
Making his remarks, the President of NSE, Tasiu Gadari- Wudil said to stem the negative effects on the emigration, it was pertinent to ensure that a safe and livable environment is created.
“But, looking at this from a different point of view. For a long-term gain, it is good to allow our professionals go out, to get more knowledge that will boost and impact our economy.
“And when the government and other stakeholders create an enabling environment, they will come back and positively impact the economy. That I see in the good intentions of COREN with respect to the Washington Accord, “he said.
On his part, Chairman, Abuja branch of NSE, Ben Okoh, organisers of the lecture said the lecture was conceived to x-ray issues of national importance by bringing together engineering professional policy makers and all stakeholders.
For the advancement of research fostering of international exchange between researchers to fashion a new roadmap for policy makers to foster development in the country and Africa.
