The Managing Director, Lagos State Water Corporation, Mr Muminu Badmus, on Saturday said the state government had embraced technology to attract more youths to the water sector.
Badmus, represented by his director of Production, Mr Mustapha Agiri, said this at the 4th Edition of Engineer Akintunde Zedomi Distinguished Lecture.
The event was organised by the Apapa Branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and had the theme, “The Use of Technology in the Improvement of Water Supply Services.”
Badmus, who was conferred an award of excellence at the event, said Lagos had made progress in water volume produced.
He said the government was embracing technology to attract more youths to water production, management, distribution, customer management and revenue collection.
He said energy was a major challenge and the corporation had to switch from an Independent Power Supply to public power to manage cost.
He also said distribution networks were old, adding that, most of them were about 40 years old but technology could make them more functional.
According to him, the corporation is partnering the Lagos State Ministry of Energy to leverage technology to improve water supply and services.
Badmus said human interface always had a lot of inadequacies, hence the need for technology to ensure customer satisfaction.
“Our growing youths have high technology knowledge and we must go the way of technology to attract them to the water sector,” he said.
Chief Akintunde Zedomi, the first chairman of the Apapa Branch, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), blamed water scarcity in Lagos and Nigeria on the inability of past leaders to keep pace with development.
“The modernisation of industries came and they were left behind,” he said.Zedomi, a fellow of NSE and an elder in the engineering community who was the reason for the event, called for replanning of Lagos.
He said water shortage in Lagos occured because the government did not prepare for expansion and population explosion the mega city was currently experiencing.
He said provision of portable water services was seen as social service and government must do its part to provide trusted service before thinking of revenue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an award was also presented to Maj.-Gen. G.S Abdullahi, Corps Commander, Nigerian Army Signals Corps, Headquarters, Apapa.
He was represented at the event by Brig. Gen. Bode Ojutaiye, Director, Nigeria Army System Development Centre, Apapa.
Also, the Managing Director, Pronto Microsystems Technologies Ltd. Maj.-Gen. Ilodibia was conferred with the award of fellow of the NSE.
He was represented by Lt. Col. Hussain Isiaku, Production Manager, Pronto Microsystems Technologies Ltd. (NAN)