By Emma Okereh.
The fourth edition conference of the Nigerian Institution of Power Engineers (NIPE), held in Abuja from Monday, 2nd August to 4th.
The 3-day conference with the theme ‘Evaluating the management model for Nigerian electricity supply industry’, held at the Auditorium of Nile Universe, Abuja. The event was declared open by the minister of power, Engr Sale Mamman who was also the special guest of honour at the brainstorming conference.
It identified efficient distribution as what government must strive to achieve as a robust economy lies with efficient power system. It also said that government must try to establish machine tool industries as a way of repositioning the power sector.
In his welcome address, the national president of the institution, Engr Israel E. Abraham after warmly welcoming participants to the occasion, explained that the conference and the exhaustion are designed to be practiced and proficient. In particular, he said the conference was solution- focused with peer review sessions where issues were dissected and the knitty- gritty of issues projected were brought to the fore to constitute a knowledge base for further discourse and research.
He said ” It is a no barred forum where specialists, technocrats interfaces with stakeholders and other professionals who all share a deep passion for creating solutions to the electrical industry. It attracts industry practitioners, researchers, manufacturers and policy drivers across the world annually”.
He further stated that ”the most important aspect of IPECON conference is that its midwifeis the Nigerian Institution of Power Engineers (NIPE),the Engineering Professional body in the industry (NESI) whose members’ career and professional practice rely on the success of the solutions preferred at such meetings. Thus, the community and purposes generation from the conference are vital.”.
Engr Abraham stressed that IPECON as a conference is unlike many others across the world as its outcomes are immediately taken up for implementation through rigorous advocacy engagements by NIPE with the relevant stakeholders and various government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure success.
He also announced that the implementation of past IPECON outcome has given birth to landmark intervention and new policy drives and orientations especially in the electric power industry. He single out the NIPE Monthly National Technician Symposium, the EPSR Committed among others.
In his own address of welcome, the vice chancellor, Nile university of Nigeria, Prof Osman Nuri Aras expressed joy in parenting with power engineers. He assured that the university will continue to collaborate with the institute to galvanize the needed synergy and ensure that power engineering regulatory bodies, academic instinct, professional bodies and practitioners in the power engineering industry meets and cross-fertilize ideas that would bring about the needed long-term solution to the electricity industry.
The event featured goodwill messages from stakeholders including former minister of power, prof Barth Nnaji, DG Energy Commission of Nigeria, TCN andHis Royalty, Engr OT Otis Anyaeji.
The conference also witnessed a conferment ceremony where fifteen members were admitted into the body and conferred with the prestigious Felisha of Power Engineers. The event was chaired by Entry Ferdinand Emeka Eze while prof Osaisai, former DG of Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission was the guest lecture.
While performing the conference ceremony, the president, Engr Abraham extolled their virtues and charged them to be good ambassadors and defenders of the institution.
