Dare to be different

1. Dare to be Different!
Prof A.O. Olorunnisola, FNSE, FNIM,FMSN,
R.Engr. (COREN)
Vice-Chancellor,
Dominion University, Ibadan

2. Salutations
• The Vice Chancellor
• All other Principal Officers of The First Technical University
• The President, Nigerian Society of Engineers
• The Dean, Faculty of Engineering
• Other Deans here present
• Heads of Departments
• The Chairman, NSE Oluyole Branch & All members of the Executive
• All Fellows, Members & Graduate Members of NSE
• Inductees of today & their proud parents
• Invited Guests
• Gentlemen of the press
• Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen

3. Greetings from Dominion University,
Ibadan

4. Felicitations
• I am delighted to be invited to speak on this
auspicious occasion of the induction of this set
of engineering graduates
• I congratulate the University, the Faculty of
Engineering, the lecturers in the various
Engineering Departments and the inductees
of today

5. What is Engineering?
• The art of applying imagination, common
sense, native ingenuity, scientific principles,
technical training, professional knowledge,
and practical experience in the conception
and design of tools, machines, structures, and
systems, and in the direction of their
economic construction and operation

6. Evolution of the Engineering Profession
• Before the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th
century, there were only two kinds of engineers:
• Military engineers – who built fortifications,
catapults, and later, cannons, and
• Civil engineers – who built bridges, harbours,
aqueducts, buildings, and other structures
• Later, the two branches evolved into the three
traditional branches of engineering, i.e., civil,
electrical, and mechanical
• By 1818, the first British professional Society of
Civil Engineers was formed, followed by the first
professional Society of Mechanical Engineers in
1847

7. Evolution of Engineering Profession in
Nigeria
• The first set of Nigerian engineers was trained in
Britain
• The first recognised Nigerian Engineer was
Herbert Heelas Macaulay, a Surveyor and an
astute politician who qualified as a Civil engineer
in 1893
• The first Nigerian to obtain a degree in
engineering was George Debayo Agbebi, who
obtained a B.Sc. Degree in Civil Engineering of the
Birmingham University in 1911

8. Evolution of Engineering Profession in
Nigeria Contd.
• Engineering education at the University level
started in Nigeria with the commencement of
degree programmes in Civil and Mechanical
Engineering in the then College of Arts and
Science of University College Ibadan, Zaria
campus in 1954
• The first set of three students admitted into
these programmes graduated in 1960

9. Evolution of Engineering Profession in
Nigeria Contd.
• The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) is the
umbrella organisation for engineers in Nigeria
• It was founded on 16 February 1958 by a
group of young Nigerian Graduate Engineers
and students in the UK
• It was inaugurated in Nigeria in 1960
• The 1st local Branch of the NSE was
established right here in Ibadan in 1961

10. Who is the Ideal Engineer?
• ‘The ideal engineer is a composite.
He is not a scientist, he is not a
mathematician, he is not a
sociologist or a writer; but he may
use the knowledge and techniques of
any or all of these disciplines in
solving engineering problems‘
– Doherty (1955)

11. The Engineer as a Professional
• Engineers are trained primarily to solve problems
• They are expected to be able to:
– recognise, identify, and define problems and
deficiencies, or conditions that need
improvement;
– couple their reservoir of knowledge and skills in
innovative thought to produce acceptable
solutions
• On records, there are 53,000, and off-record,
about 100,000 in Nigeria today

12. The Engineer as a Professional
 A 21st Century Engineer is expected to possess:
◦ Factual knowledge about the technology and
scientific principles relevant to his/her branch
of engineering practice
◦ An ability to use technology creatively to give
the most effective solution to the problem at
hand, and to do this ethically
◦ A persistently inquiring and creative mind

13. Living up to the Expectations
 To be able to live up to the expectations of a
21st Century Engineer, obtaining a first degree
is not enough
 The best way to live up to expectations is to:
◦ Remain a lifelong learner who is able to
learn, re-learn and unlearn
◦ Dare to be different

14. What does it mean to be Different?
To be different is to:
• dare is to break the norm
• refuse to conform to the status quo
• refuse to accept the popular opinion and
move to defend one's course in life
• be distinct
• attempt great things and stand out

15. Dare to be Different
• “If you desire to make a difference in the world,
you must be different from the world.” — Elaine
S. Dalton
• If you want to change things, you need to rattle
some cages, shake things up, and go for the bold.
• You have to find the edge and, then push past it
• The way to change the world, or at least your
world, is to dare to be different. When you dare
to be different, you step out of the mould, and
you make space for your creative twists

16. Dare to be Different
• When you dare to be different, sometimes
you stand alone
• But alone is where your unique creative
contribution can thrive
• It’s what leaders, great artists, and inspiring
minds, do. They take us beyond the edges of
conformity to pave brave new frontiers

17. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
• Raphael Adeola Alabi OON, FNSE (1941–2009) was a Nigerian
engineer and industrialist
• He was the first indigenous engineer in post colonial Nigeria to
become a 'Chief Engineer' at Guinness, Nigeria
• Altogether he spent 45 years at Guinness
• He was employed by Guinness as a 'Trainee' and rose through the
ranks to become the first Nigerian Chief Engineer in 1979. He was
subsequently Executive Director in 1986, marketing director 1988
and was managing director Chief Executive, and vice-chairman
between 1994 and 1996
• Ralph Alabi's journey at Guinness ended with him spending up to
13 years as the chairman (Non-Executive) in 2009

18. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
• Engr. Barr Tope Oribuyaku (1948-2017)
• He obtained B.Sc., Civil Engineering at OAU, Ile Ife,
attended UNIBEN for MBA & UNILAG for Bachelor of
Laws, Master of Laws and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering. He
also attended the Nigeria Law School
• He was also a Chartered Quantity Surveyor
• He had a company, Techgrade Consulting, reputed for
quality training. He was a consultant with the World
bank and one of the most sort after arbitration
professionals in the country
• His combination of engineering & legal practice stood
him out among his peers

19. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Prof. Emmanuel Uchechukwu ODIGBOH
• Agricultural Engineer & Inventor, born January 5, 1940
• He invented:
– Automatic Cassava Planter, 1977
– Mechanical devices for peeling cassava roots -1974
– Industrial/Domestic Melon ('Egusi‘) Shelling Machines,
1979
– Cassava harvesters, 1982- 1987
– Yam Planter, 1985-88
– Bitter-Leaf Processing Machine, 1990
• His numerous agricultural engineering inventions stand
him out among his peers

20. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Prof. Olusoji OFI
• Mechanical Engineer, Inventor & University Administrator,
born in 1942
• As a Lecturer/Researcher in UI, he invented Instant
Pounded Yam (Iyan Ofi) made from yam only without
preservatives, flavouring, or colouring in the late 1970s- the
fore-runner of Poundo Yam
• He was Dean, Faculty of Technology, UI: 1996-2000; Deputy
Vice-Chancellor (Administration), UI- 2000-2004
• He is the Founder of Ofi foods industry, established 1983,
that currently produces different flour products in Ibadan
• His invention, Entrepreneurial & Administrative skills stand
him out among his peers

21. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Engr. Barr. Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon
• He studied Agricultural Engineering at UI, Law at UNILAG/
Nigeria Law School, & earned MBA from OAU, Ile-Ife
• Joined Tractor and Equipment (a division of UACN) as Sales
Engineer after graduation from UI, & became the Marketing
Manager
• He was appointed Marketing Director /Legal Adviser of Nigerite
Limited
• He was chairman of Ogun State Radio and TV stations, where he
established Nigeria's first state owned FM radio station (OGBC
FM Stereo)
• He combines engineering, marketing, law, & management
practice with a committed devotion Nigerian art and culture

22. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Elon Musk
• Elon Musk is one of the greatest minds of our
time
• Musk is a South African born American
businessman, visionary, and engineer that has
been involved in a really impressive number of
start-ups
• He’s currently the founder, CEO, and CTO of Space
Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), a company
that aims to –broadly speaking– create a
functional spacefaring civilisation

23. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
• Satya Nadella
• He is an Indian American engineer and a prime
example of hard work paying off
• He graduated as an electrical engineer and later
pursued higher studies in the United States, obtaining
an M.S. and an MBA
• He joined Microsoft in 1992
• Once there he was one of the first to suggest the
concept of cloud computing, a technology Microsoft
ended up investing a lot of resources into
• In 2014 he reached the peak of his success by
becoming Microsoft’s CEO

24. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Jeff Bezos
• Bezos is an American entrepreneur, investor, and
philathropist, the founder of the online shopping
retailer cnolossus Amazon
• He got an electrical engineering degree in Princeton
• His true success came in 1993 when he started the
online bookstore, Amazon, which became the largest
online shopping retailer in the world in 2013
• He was named the wealthiest person in the world in
2018. He also owns the Washington Post, is an avid
investor, and the founder of the spaceflight company
Blue Origin

25. Engineers who Dared
to be Different
Sundar Pichai
• An Indian American computer engineer, often deemed as a
genius because of his innovative ideas
• He was behind the development of Google’s toolbar for
Internet Explorer and Firefox
• Sundar developed and promoted the idea of Google
Chrome browser which eventually became the most used
browser in the world
• Sundar performed as vice president of product
development, senior vice president of Chrome and apps,
led the Android team, and was even promoted to Product
Chief
• He was named the company’s CEO in 2015

26. To be different you must…
• Be a repository of knowledge and skill that is
above that of the average person
• Be of good moral character
• Be someone who uses discretion & sound
judgment in dealing with clients
• Place service ahead of monetary rewards
• Perform services only in areas of your
competence

27. To be different you must…
• Think Outside the Box - is a metaphor for
thinking:
–differently
–unconventionally, or
–from a new perspective
–Boxes are mental models including ideas,
approaches, philosophies, tactics, theories,
strategies, et c.

28. So, what is the box?
• What is encompassed by the words "inside
the box" is analogous with the current, and
often unnoticed, assumptions about a
situation
• Boxes can both guide and set you free
• However, they can also obscure the truth and
hold you back. They can trap you in rigid
assumptions and push you towards tired
routines and stale assumptions

29. Benefits of Thinking Outside the Box
It pushes you to:
• Ask questions
• Challenge rigid rules and tired frameworks
• Take risks
• Imagine
• Invent –create new ideas or methods of doing
something
• Innovate- use better/novel ideas/methods of
doing something
• Improve-do the same thing better

30. In Conclusion….
• The engineer is the key figure in the material
progress of the world. It is his engineering that
makes a reality of the potential value of science
by translating scientific knowledge into tools,
resources, energy and labour to bring them into
the service of man ... To make contributions of
this kind the engineer requires the imagination to
visualize the needs of society and to appreciate
what is possible as well as the technological and
broad social age understanding to bring his vision
to reality - Sir Eric Ashby

31. In Conclusion….
•Nigeria, indeed the whole
world, is waiting for you
•Go out and be different!