Education
Nigeria needs strict regulations to improve its bad engineering practices – Jeyeola – EnviroNews
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Nigeria, according to Jubril Sunday Jayeola, the chairman of the Warri Chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), must step up its efforts to enforce engineering laws if it hopes to solve the problem of poor practices plaguing the country.
The expert discussed some of these challenges in this interview with Etta Michael Biosng, including his ambition to transform his organisation so that it becomes an example for others to follow.
What inspired you to study engineering?
The beauty of recreation, along with my intelligence as a teenager, inspired me to become a civil engineer, not just any engineering profession. I enjoy inventing and innovating new things. Every time I create anything new, I feel so happy and fulfilled. I usually enjoy finding myself in that mode. As a result, I worked really hard to ensure that I passed the courses required to become an engineer and not just be any local creator without certification.
Your take on engineering practices in Nigeria?
As an expert, I believe that the engineering profession in Nigeria should be appropriately controlled. This is one area that the nation’s policymakers and experts in engineering must fully focus on. If this is addressed, it will undoubtedly solve many issues that the engineering profession faces, such as quackery and a lack of professional development. This is because when you are unmotivated or your work is done by a quack, especially in the building industry, you become discouraged from learning more because doing so will ultimately result in knowledge waste.
You currently serve as the technical advisor on civil engineering projects with the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) and the managing partner at Concord Engineering Nigeria Limited, a company you co-founded in 2025. Can you tell us more about your roles, including milestones in championing these entities?
Working as a technical advisor on civil engineering projects for the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) has reinforced and validated my belief that an engineer must possess sound technical skills outside of the classroom in order to provide sound technical advice on any project. To be able to provide real-time guidance, you require artificial intelligence (AI), training, certification programmes, and hands-on site experiences.
As the managing partner of Concord Engineering Nigeria Limited, a company I co-founded in 2025 with the goals of empowerment, entrepreneurship, and the ambition to create a sustainable structure similar to other foreign engineering firms operating in Nigeria. This knowledge and reality are what Nigerians must bring to bear on our future to sustain indigenous content and engineering.
You were recently elected as the NICE Warri chapter chairman. Can you take us through this journey, particularly your plan to reposition the association?
This journey practically defines courage, boldness, service, and hard work, and a leader’s influence, impact, and inspiration characterise him rather than his age. As Onyi Anyado points out, “Leadership is about influence, impact, and inspiration.” With this conviction, I accepted the mandate with humility, purpose, and steadfast determination.
My strategy will be built on four pillars: zero building collapse, professional development, technopreneurship, aggressive membership drive, and strategic collaboration. We will collaborate with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), academia, industry, and government to ensure that Warri becomes a model for safe and creative civil engineering practices.
What is your plan to develop and empower young engineers, ensuring the transformation of the NICE Warri chapter during your leadership?
My intentions are fairly straightforward: provide them with technical workshops, necessary skills, and encouragement to enable them to deliver their professional duties.
Can you highlight some of the challenges facing your association that you think requires urgent attention?
Ensuring appropriate visibility, providing professional engineering training, promoting employment, empowering individuals, and facilitating involvement in policymaking for government, the private sector, and other stakeholders in the civil engineering industry.
How do you intend to work with other stakeholders, especially the government and private sector actors, to help foster the goal of your professional body?
I intend to utilise our platform to provide technical support for every option presented to us. Additionally, we will play a role in the engineering of buildings, roads, and other complex civil engineering challenges to ensure excellent service delivery, drawing on our extensive expertise and seasoned engineers.
If you had a magic wand or some sort of magic powers, what would you do differently that you think has not currently been done to address the problems facing engineering practice in Nigeria?
To regulate the country’s engineering policy. From industry, academia, and manufacturing, as well as how engineering labourers are employed.
