“Nigeria’s Greatest Export is Her People,” Minister Goronyo Tells Engineers in London
Nigerian engineers, both at home and abroad, are the true backbone of the nation’s development, according to the Minister of State for Works, Bello Mohammad Goronyo. Goronyo, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 2025 Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) London Branch Conference, declared that “Nigeria’s greatest export is not oil, nor gas, but her people, skilled, intelligent, and determined.”
Addressing a distinguished audience on the theme, “The Role of Engineers in Infrastructure Sustainability,” the Minister stressed that engineers are central to achieving Nigeria’s ambition for modern, resilient, and environmentally responsible infrastructure.
Goronyo reiterated that President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda places infrastructure at the core of the development strategy, noting that no nation can achieve prosperity without resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
He highlighted several ongoing landmark projects being executed to international standards, including:
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
The rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kano Road
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
The East-West corridor
Read Also:
“These projects are not merely concrete and steel; they are opportunities for economic empowerment, engines for commerce, and platforms for social advancement,” the Minister declared. “And behind each of them stand engineers whose dedication and skill make the vision a reality.”
The Minister paid tribute to Nigerian engineers across the globe, commending their resilience and innovation. He noted that diaspora engineers serve as a “vital bridge between global best practices and our domestic realities,” mentoring young Nigerians and closing knowledge gaps.
Goronyo challenged the professionals to integrate resilience, adaptability, and green technologies into their work, emphasizing that infrastructure sustainability requires planning for “generations, not electoral cycles.”
He called for closer collaboration, urging engineers to bring their “ideas, your skills, your networks, and your passion” to the national development effort.
”Infrastructure is the backbone of development, but it is Engineers who provide the heartbeat that keeps it alive,” he concluded.
The report was released by Maryam M. Sanusi, the Director of Information and Public Relations for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
By PRNigeria
