By Jude Opara, Abuja
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is using the engineering methods to ensure that Nigeria succeeds in her dream of building a nation that will be the pride of all citizens.
Shettima who spoke at the 15th Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers (NIME) in Abuja on Tuesday, added that just like Engineers who apply the principles of science to real life situation, using their skills to create, stabilise, and sustain, the present administration is also using its knowledge to create and build a sustainable economy that will endure.
The Vice President while presenting his goodwill message at the event, insisted that national challenges are not due to lack of knowledge but because of our difficulty in applying chase principles with discipline and clarity.
He also stated that the theme of the 2025 Mechanical Engineering lecture could not have come at a better time, for the fact that it speaks to the need for coherence between planning and execution, which his said the present administration is already implementing.
“The theme of the 2025 Mechanical Engineering distinguished lecture could not have come at a better time. It speaks to the need for coherence between what we plan and what we execute. In Engineering, as in budgeting, you cannot altar one variable without recalibrating the others. If you do, you lose harmony. This is the reality we face when public policy ignores the logic of proportion and alignment.
“We look forward to learning from your expertise and working with you to bridge the gap between ideas and implementation, between theoretical knowledge and practical governance. Nigeria reflects the quality of our collective thinking and I trust that your interventions will continue to inspire the transformation we seek.
“Let this gathering emphasis a simple truth; that budgeting, like engineering, demands structure, accuracy and foresight. A nation that hopes to rise must learn to plan like an engineer. Every figure must make sense. Every decision must serve a purpose. That is how we build the Nigeria of our dreams,” he added.
The former governor of Borno state further argued: “The true measure of any thriving civilisation lies in its respect for numbers, for data, for geometry, and for the guiding principles of mathematics. Our national challenges do not stem from a lack of knowledge but from our difficulty in applying chase principles with discipline and clarity.
“Contrary to those who regard quantitative rigour disconnected from reality, nothing could be further from the truth. We are driven by interaction, balance, and response. Just as the laws of motion govern machinery, they shape the fortunes of nation.
“This is why Engineers are indispensable to every society. They apply the principles of science to real life situation, using their skills to create, stabilise, and sustain. Whether in refining energy systems or designing infrastructure, Engineers remind us that life itself is powered by numbers, calculations, and calibrated choices, without these, our lives would be marked by chaos and uncertainty,” he said.
