By STELLAMARIS ASHINZE

A debuting professional association, the Muslim Engineers Association (TMEA), on Saturday charged engineers to place competence, accountability and public safety above personal gains.

The National President, TMEA, Engr Gbadegesin Osuolale made the call at the inauguration of TMEA’s pioneer National President and National Executive Council in Lagos.

Osuolale stressed that Engineering was fundamentally a profession built on public trust, therefore professionals must reject unethical pressure from contracts, politics and personal interests in professional practice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had the theme, “Engineering Excellence, Ethical Leadership and Service To Humanity Through Islamic Values.”

Osuolale said TMEA would promote engineering professionalism, ethical leadership, mentorship and collaboration, guided by Islamic values.

“The association will reach out to Muslim engineers across Nigeria and encourage them to use their expertise to address national development challenges.

“TMEA will focus on mentorship, research, emerging technologies and practical solutions across energy, housing, transportation, water, agriculture and manufacturing,” the national president said.

He said engineers must recognise that every structure, system, software and technology they designed could affect lives and remain in use for generations.

“Every code that you write, every order that you sign and everything that is a product of your work has to have a moral foundation,” he said.

Osuolale, who is the pioneer President, urged young engineers to remain curious, ask questions, seek knowledge and develop the capacity to provide solutions to Nigeria’s emerging challenges.

He said the association would also promote stronger professional networks, enabling experienced engineers to mentor younger professionals and students.

The pioneer president said TMEA would build on the work of its founding members, interim committee, planning team and volunteers who established the association.

He pledged that the new national executive would pursue its mandate with sincerity, competence and commitment to service.

He said TMEA would ultimately seek to make Muslim engineers a stronger force for technological innovation, ethical leadership and sustainable national development.

Osuolale urged young engineers to prepare for the future by combining technical excellence with integrity, curiosity, mentorship and commitment to the wider public good.

The Grand Imam of Lagos State, Sheik Sulaimon Abu-Nolla, said Engineering was a profession of trust because virtually every aspect of modern life depended on engineers’ work.

He urged engineers to work consciously and responsibly, saying professional ethics should extend beyond regulatory requirements to personal accountability before God.

The cleric cited poorly constructed and maintained infrastructure as evidence of how professional negligence could undermine public confidence and waste resources.

He challenged TMEA to establish a benchmark for ethical engineering practice that would promote public interest and strengthen trust in the profession.

The Keynote Speaker, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Dr Ibraheem Abdul, focused on the ethical implications of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, drones, Internet of Things and autonomous systems.

The rector was represented by the Deputy Rector, Academics, Dr Ismail Badmus.

Abdul warned engineers against treating technology as an excuse to escape responsibility when automated systems make harmful or biased decisions.

He said engineers must ask who controls data, how systems make decisions and who bears responsibility when technology produces harmful outcomes.

He particularly cautioned against biased training data, urging engineers developing AI systems to test, monitor and deploy them responsibly.

According to him, the rapid adoption of AI and autonomous technologies makes human accountability more important, not less.

“Engineers must combine technical expertise with character, integrity and ethical judgment to ensure technology serves society, rather than undermine it,” he said.

The Chairman of the Inauguration Planning Committee, Engr Kamoru Adebisi, in his welcome address, said the gathering was not ceremonial but a new phase of leadership and responsibility for the association.

The highlight of the event was the inauguration of the new executives with Engr. Gbadegesin Osuolale as President; and Engr. Kamoru Adebisi, Vice President.

Others include Engr. Tajudeen Kolade as Deputy President; Engr. Zaid Jagun as General Secretary; Engr. Al-Ameen Ahmadu – Treasurer; Engr. Silifa Adeniran as Financial Secretary.

As well as Engr. Ahmed Ayinla – Publicity Secretary; Engr. Ademuyiwa Tijani – Asst. Secretary; and Engr. Fatimoh Opeloyeru as Welfare Secretary. (NAN)