Senior Lecturer, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Dr Ibrahim Lawal, says Nigeria is still grappling with the challenge of balancing rapid urbanisation and infrastructure demands.
Lawal stated this during the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Public Lecture of the state branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) on Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Bauchi.
He also said that there was the need to combat the impact of climate change.
Lawal attributed the development of balancing rapid urbanisation and infrastructural demands to the growing population.
While presenting a paper titled: “Building an Environmentally Sustainable and Resilient Future; The Nexus of Climate Change, Infrastructure and Engineering in Nigeria”, he urged governments at all levels to treat infrastructure as a priority sector for climate action.
The lecturer, who is from the department of Engineering of the institution, noted that understanding the intersection unveiled both the hurdles faced and the innovative solutions forged, to navigate toward a more sustainable future.
“In Nigeria, the dynamic interplay between climate change, infrastructure development and engineering practices is critical in shaping the nation’s path toward a sustainable and resilient future.
“For a sustainable and resilient future, the nexus of climate change, infrastructure and engineering practices in Nigeria presents both an opportunity and a challenge,” Lawal said.
Lawal, however, maintained that Nigeria had a better chance at an environmentally sustainable and resilient future, where communities thrived, infrastructure endured and the environment flourished, in spite challenges posed by an ever-changing climate.
Also speaking, the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, represented by Alhaji Jibrin Jibo, Dan Saran Bauchi, said that a call for climate-resilient infrastructure was a call for survival, progress and continuity in the country.
According to him, it is a call for engineers, policymakers, traditional rulers and communities, to rethink how they plan, design and maintain the structures upon which their lives depend.
“Engineers must continue to innovate, drawing on global best practices, while adapting them to our local realities,” he said.
The emir charged engineers to lead the course of transformation, adding that, to succeed, they must collaborate with all stakeholders.
In his remarks, Mr. Abdulkarim Hassan, the Chairman, NSE, Bauchi branch, said the chapter had made significant strides in advancing the mission and vision of the society.
He explained that as part of the mandate to promote technical development and professional competence among its members, the branch conducted several technical visits during the year, which broadened their technical exposure.
This visits, Hassan said, also created opportunities for collaboration, mentorship and knowledge exchange between its members and industry personnel.
Mrs. Margaret Oguntala, the President of the NSE, who was represented by Mr. Ibrahim Usman, NSE National Executive, North-East, called on members of the society in the state to encourage visitation to project and construction sites to foster relationships.
By Olaide Ayinde