The federal, state and local governments in Nigeria have been urged to give adequate funding to engineering and technology-based programmes in Nigerian universities.
The appeal was made by a Professor of Engineering Design, Professor David Abimbola Fadare of the Department of Mechanical Engineering while delivering the 524th inaugural lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Technology.
The lecture was entitled: “Where There is no Design.”
Professor Fadare said that the remuneration of engineering teachers in the universities should be given an upward review as is being done for medical doctors in the teaching hospitals.
He emphasized that design is a fundamental and foundational engineering practice that can not be overlooked.
For Nigerian engineers to be globally mobile and recognised to travel and work in any signatory country without the need for professional qualification examination, Professor Fadare urged the COREN, NUC, universities and students to adopt the Outcome Based Education of the Washington Accord Standard.
He stated that every graduate engineer during training must have practical experience in design from the first phase of identification needs, all through the last phase of producing functional prototypes or artefacts of machines, systems and processes before graduation.
He advised parents to understand and appreciate that the training of the engineer is the most capital intensive among all professions and must be willing to pay more for the training of graduate engineers.
The inaugural Lecturer also advised the NUC to give deserved attention to Design in the development of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards while COREN was urged not to relent in its efforts to become a signatory to the Washington Accord Standard.
