Reduce excise duties on all engineering components, NIEEE urges FG

The Acting President of the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Engr Felix Olu has called on the Federal Government to reduce excise duties on all electrical and electronics components in view of the challenges faced by importers of renewable energy materials.

Olu lamented that importers are made to pay avoidable demurrages due to the alleged artificial bottlenecks, stressing that this has led to a sharp rise in the cost of renewable solutions.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Chairman of the NIEEE Abeokuta Chapter, the Acting President appealed to the new administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to remove the bottlenecks in view of the ease-of-doing-business policy of the government.

On the new Act establishing the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers of Nigeria, Olu said the law would “separate experts from quacks” and restore decorum to the profession.

He noted that the CIEEEN bill, which was passed by the Senate in June, 2022, had been signed into law by the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari, last month.

Explaining further, he said CIEEEN “is the organisation with the requisite authority to register anyone who wants to practice Electrical /Electronic Engineering in Nigeria.”

He added that the body would also “regulate their practice, compel them to seek professional improvement and require them to attend stages of examinations to obtain categories of practice certificate.”

The group’s president noted further that the establishment of the body became imperative due “to the rampant menace of quackery and the need for professionalism in the practice of electrical/electronic engineering in all its ramifications.”

While stressing “some of the advantages of the Act to Nigerians,” Olu informed, “It is to separate the experts from the quacks. Nigerians will know how to locate experts.

“Truly competent engineers, Technologists will get the right jobs for serious clients. We will with time mitigate failed projects, fire cases etc. EE engineering family will be tidied up, and there will be decorum in the profession.

“Career pathways will become clearer for younger ones and parents who want their wards to study Electrical/Electronic Engineering.

“There will be adequate penalty for such registered engineers who cause accidents,” he maintained.

In conclusion, the NIEEE president insisted, “There will be the right experts to investigate incidences related to the field and more standards and codes will be created in the field to make engineering services more qualitative.”


Punch