A Nigerian engineer, Olatunji Ariyomo has highlighted the absence of elite consensus towards development as a significant cause of underdevelopment in Nigeria.
He made the remarks at the 2024 Engineering Lecture of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), organised by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Ariyomo, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers known as Tunji Light Ariyomo, emphasised the importance of deliberately growing infrastructure for economic competitiveness and sustainable development, drawing from examples of development role models in other nation-states.
Addressing the audience, Ariyomo pointed out that unresolved issues of ethnicity, religion, and socio-political conflicts have hindered Nigeria’s progress. He stressed the need to address these fundamental issues to foster elite consensus and enable sustainable development.
Furthermore, Ariyomo recommended structural fixes to address underlying issues and emphasized the importance of leadership models that promote talent identification and development from an early age, similar to systems in the United Kingdom.
Ariyomo advocated for the development of a master plan for infrastructure across Nigeria, coupled with robust maintenance strategies. He emphasized the need for political will, technical expertise, and financial resources to drive Nigeria’s development agenda.
The 2024 Engineering Lecture was followed by an award ceremony, where eminent members of FUTA’s community, including retired scholars and alumni, were honored for their contributions to engineering and national development. The event also saw the launch of a N500 million endowment fund for engineering equipment, aimed at mobilizing support from alumni to further advance the department’s infrastructure and educational objectives.
