Dear Distinguished Colleagues,
It is my honour and privilege to address you today, the 1st day of January, 2022. I delightfully welcome you into the new Year and the beginning of my administration as the 33rd President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
The history of our great Society is replete with achievements of honourable and resolute men who fought against storms and oppositions to build a virile umbrella organisation for the noble profession of Engineering in Nigeria. The foundation that they laid over six decades ago has stood the test of time under successive leaderships of the Society, with layers of achievements in different spheres. We may not be where we desire to be, yet but the journey thus far has been steadily progressive.
Unfortunately, the events of the recent past have casted shadows over the progress recorded in the past. I refer to the shameful incidences that occurred during the recently concluded Annual General Meeting (AGM), especially the marred elections of the National Executive Committee and Statutory Audit Committee. The alleged hijack of the election process and the pronouncements and actions that followed in the past weeks smacked of desperation at an unprecedented level. Those actions and pronouncements have potentials for rocking the foundation and truncating the growth of this noble Society that our progenitors laboured to build.
Distinguished colleagues, the main thrust of this message is to reassure all members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers that as your President, our Society will not disintegrate under my watch. I will ensure that the sanctity of our laws and powers of the AGM are not abused by the people who have sworn to protect them. We will follow through with all the extant conflict resolution mechanisms provided for in our Memorandum and Articles of Association to resolve all the issues at hand.
My administration will put back this Society on the path of growth and progress. We will pursue programmes that will promote technological advancement for our nation and yield the desired visibility for the Society in the appropriate corridors. Some of these programmes will be espoused in my inaugural speech during the Investiture Ceremony scheduled to hold on January 22, 2022.
Therefore, I invite everyone to imbibe the spirit of togetherness and join hands with my administration to foster unity and progress for our great Society.
I wish us all a very peaceful, healthy and prosperous year, 2022.
Long live Nigeria.
Long live the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
Engr. Tasiu Sa'ad Gidari-Wudil, FNSE, SMIEEE, FNIEEE
President
The Nigerian Society of Engineers
