Engineers From Nigeria

"I will give all it takes to meet the expectations of my principal, the party, and above all, the good people of Edo State."

"In line with the oath of office to which I have just subscribed, I make a solemn pledge to do all in my power, with God’s guidance, to live up to expectations."

"The fusion of my engineering expertise and administrative experience equips me to contribute meaningfully to our state’s development."

"Q: What inspired you to establish Amana consortium Limited? A: The inspiration for the establishment of Amana Consortium is my passion for creative design from childhood. I have been intrigued by inspirational engineering design."

"I believe the overall nature of things in the country affect a lot of things including education because in those days especially in the 1950s, we didn’t hear of students having to pay to pass examinations. We didn’t hear of people having to buy result for admission as everything was done purely on merit."

"I am not only worried but I am also proactive about what needs to be done to change the present trend in the poor education standard in this country."

"We must encourage energy use across multiple sectors — not only for household lighting, but also for transport, industry, commerce, and other productive activities — to boost the nation’s economic capacity."

"We must ensure that we have diversified sources of energy throughout the country, both renewable and non-renewable."

"A::We put service to God and humanity at the fore of our mission and we engage in several initiatives that benefit both members of our congregation and the un-churched community at large. Our interventions include a specialised ministry we call ‘Elevate 200.’ Elevate 200 is a special outreach church focused on empowering the less privileged in our communities through financial, medical, welfare and education interventions."

"Q::What other social initiatives has The Elevation Church championed?"

"A::VANTAGE Forum is an annual entrepreneurship development initiative by The Elevation Church aimed at helping individuals excel in their businesses and careers through seminars, workshops, and mentorship programmes."

"Q::What is Vantage Forum?"

"Q:: What do you think is responsible for the increasing rate of suicide in Nigeria?"

"A:: I think suicide comes from hopelessness, and hopelessness is not something that happens in one day. It’s something that starts from cluelessness from not knowing what to do, from feeling helpless; from feeling constrained; then to the point you feel there is no point living."

"Over the years, I have trained and mentored hundreds of engineers and managers who have worked in our offices or listened to my lectures."

"Q: What is your contribution to the economic growth of Nigeria? A: My contribution to the economic growth of Nigeria derives from the different areas of my engagement as an economic citizen. First, in the area of engineering practice, as the CEO of Amana Consortium, I have directed the engineering study, design and construction supervision of about 600 projects all over the country."

"A:The Nigeria Electrification Project is one intervention that has enabled us to accelerate the impact of renewable energy technologies such as solar hybrid mini-grids and solar home systems, while equally expanding private sector participation in the nation’s off-grid space."

"An assessment of the Nigerian petroleum industry reveals that the NNPC is one of the inefficient government institutions in Nigeria, with heavy political interference, ambiguities, corruption and nepotism."

"Recent investigations and probes into government corruption in Nigeria reveals that a substantial part of government corruption, originates from the activities that relate to the management of the oil and gas proceeds, supposed to be channeled towards the growth and development of the nation."

"A major gap in the PIB 2020 is that the government’s continued control of the new NNPC raises concerns of a likely continuation of old practices such as corruption and weak accountability."

"The PIB 2020 does not specifically require the government to sell shares in NNPC Limited and this may stifle the much-needed fundraising required for the growth of the sector. Furthermore, unlike previous reform proposals, the PIB 2020 does not set a specific deadline for when the privatization/commercialization will be completed."

"The restriction that has been placed by OPEC and all the other issues Nigeria is facing with production, even though the way you put it, Nigeria has the potential to produce 2.1 to 2.2 million barrels of Oil."

"With the production cut put in place by OPEC just to shore up oil prices shows that we now produce between 1.5 to 1.4 million barrels per day, so we have excess capacity. However, this historic cut is expected to see crude oil prices rebound by at least $15 per barrel in the short term."

"Q::The World Bank has recently revealed plans to expand its support for energy access in Nigeria through more funding. What outcomes have emerged from its initial $350,000 support for implementing the NEP?"

"Q:: What efforts is the REA making to address power poverty?"

"A: Nigeria has long struggled with energy poverty, and with a growing population and expanding industries, electricity demand keeps increasing. The government alone cannot bridge this energy gap, so programmes have been created to encourage private sector participation alongside public agencies."

"I think also going forward, we must emphasize on growing broadband infrastructure, and not just growing it for the sake of it but catalyzing its adoption and usage, nationwide."

"even within the African continent, we should encourage building of optic fibre that links the countries of Africa because that will help us do local peering of Internet, keep local networks linked to each other, reduce price of communicating within the countries in Africa and perhaps greatly increase broadband speed."

"It’s been a big part of my life and I consider myself really opportune to be in this place at this time especially in the past ten years in seeing the telecom industry transform to what it is today."

"And obviously, in thinking about sustaining the growth also means that it is still work in progress and there is still much to be done despite the achievements we have been made so far"

"I think to sustain the growth, we must lay emphasis to a few things and I will start by advocating that we must maintain stability in the policy and regulatory environment"

"Why we moved as fast as we did over this period is as a result of fair amount of regulatory independence that the organization had."

"Our focus should not only be that money is being made in the industry but that this decision of government has suddenly changed the landscape and provided phones in the hands of most Nigerians, and provided telephone “access” because even if you do not own a phone, you will likely find a place to make calls near your location today”"

"Remember, it’s not just about building a business. It’s about building a legacy."

"If I could go back in time, one of the things I would do differently is this: Avoid loans as much as possible."

"In my 30 years at CHAMS, I experienced both extremes—successes that elevated us and failures that brought us to our knees. Yet through it all, I learned one vital truth: These too shall pass."

"If you want to serve humanity, start with your country. Be proud of where you come from—and let that pride drive you to build solutions that not only help your nation, but also show the world what we’re capable of."

"Patriotism is more than just loyalty to your country. It is about believing in its potential, contributing to its growth, and using your expertise and resources to make it better."

"This principle goes far beyond money. It’s about your time, talents, and treasures. Giving is like a farmer sowing seeds—scattering them, not always knowing where they will land or who will benefit, but trusting that in time, they will return in abundance."

"Since vision often points to an unknown future—filled with twists, turns, pain, and pleasure—we must rely on a force greater than ourselves. Faith in God is that force."

"My entrepreneurial journey began when I started selling coconut candy to my classmates. I turned a two-kobo investment into ten kobo—eventually saving nearly a pound in shillings."

"There is a need for insurance companies and her professional bodies to leverage this platform by partnering with relevant companies and agencies in the technology sector to create and provide specialised services which would help update their internal and external operations."

"Any business born out of the desire to serve humanity is destined to succeed."

"Insurance must be seen, felt and sold like commodity that it is. It should be sold everywhere."

"A::Our most recent major challenge involved the national identity card project. Chams led the development of identity management technology in Nigeria, spending years creating a system to produce and print ID cards on PVC, instead of the earlier paper-and-lamination method. After this breakthrough, the government approached us because of our role in pioneering the solution. Although the National ID Card programme began in 1996, it only made real progress after Chams joined in 1998. By April 1999, we had produced the first one million ID cards without receiving any payment from the government."

"Q::You spoke about turbulent times. Can you shed more light on that?"

"Demola Aladekomo opens up to Joy Marcus about his experiences in business and other issues"

"A::We were not the earliest indigenous IT company listed on the stock exchange; others before us focused on mainframe systems, while we were the first to concentrate on microcomputers. I also don’t see us as “creators” of the company, because true creation belongs to God alone. People may call themselves founders, but in my view, only God can truly create, while humans simply develop what already exists."

"Q::How do you feel that Chams is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange?"