At the 2024 Public Lecure, Annual Dinner and Awards Night of the Nigerian Society of Engineers Ado Ekiti Branch, an Engineering Expert, Engr. Olugbenga Odesanmi stressed the importance of engineering technology in tackling food insecurity in the country.
Odesanmi, a former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Ekiti State, stated this on Thursday as a Guest Lecturer at the 2024 Annual Dinner, Lecture and Award Night of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, Ado-Ekiti Branch.
Delivering his lecture titled: “The Role of Engineers in Tackling Food Insecurity”, he called on Engineers to take the centre stage and liase with other stakeholders towards bringing about the change the nation wants.
He tasked them to apply the Engineering principles in improving the efficiency, sustainability and productivity of farming and food systems.
His words: “Food security is everybody’s business we all eat everyday. We need to ensure that everybody is fed because if a section is not fed, they will cause chaos within the town. The government and everybody has the responsibility to ensure that nobody goes to sleep with an empty stomach.
“We need to apply engineering technology to do that because we cannot continue using old tools. We have to adopt modern techniques because land is becoming limited and population is increasing.
We need to innovate and be creative about the food production. Engineers have problems-solving skills. We need to bring that into food challenges to ensure that anybody at anytime has something to eat and are well-fed so that our society will be peaceful so that we can have economic development.
On her part, the Chairman of NSE, Ado-Ekiti Branch, Engr. Tola Alawode, who emphasized that the dinner serves as an avenue to unite members, also appreciated its leaders and members for their support.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Engr. Abiodun Ogunrinde equally said that the annual dinner serves as an avenue to relax, dine and wine together.
He noted that the dinner lecture is aimed at exploring how engineering principles can be applied to develop new agricultural technologies, improve food storage and transportation systems and enhance the overall sustainability of food value chain.
The event featured award presentations to eminent personalities including; Engr. John Ekundayo, Special Adviser and Director General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery in Ekiti State; Engr. Toyin Ojo, Chairman of Ado Central LCDA; Engr. Temitope Alake, Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti; Ekiti State Head of Service, Dr. Mrs Olufolakemi Olomojobi, among others.
The National President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Aina Oguntala, represented by the South West National Exco of the society, Professor Olumide Ogundipe congratulated the branch for ending the year on a high note and admonished them to make the engineering profession proud in their individual endeavours especially as the nation is in dire need of creative thinking and technological innovations.
