THE HISTORY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

Throughout the ancient and medieval history most architectural design and
construction was carried out by artisans such as stonemasons and carpenters rising
to the role of master builder. Knowledge was retained in guilds and seldom
supplanted by advances.
Structures, roads and infrastructures that existed were repetitive and
increases in scale were increamental.One of the earliest examples of a scientific
approach to physical and mathematical problems applicable to civil engineering is
the work of Archimedes in the third century BC,including Archimedes principle,
which underpins our understanding of buoyancy, and practical solutions such as
Archimedes screw Brahmagupta, an Indian mathematician, used arithmetic in the
seventh century AD, based on Hindu-Arabic numerals for excavation(in volume)
In ancient times civil engineering was the only branch of engineering outside
military application and every other discipline of engineering was subsumed in
civil engineering .Before now all forms of engineering exploits were targeted
towards military adventure. It was in the 18th century that the term civil
engineering emerged from John Smeaton in 1750, the designer of the famous

Eddyston Lighthouse near Plymouth, England he the one that first called himself
a civil engineer.
Civil engineering has since ceased to embrace all engineering activities
undertaken by non- military personnel. At the rise of the industrial revolution in the
18th century and the discovery of electricity by Faradays, engineers engaged in
intensive development of electrical machines and electrical motors as well as in
their applications.
Civil engineering also embodies architecture until the middle of the 19th
century when it became recognized as a separate profession. What was then known
to be civil engineering are those activities which deal with the infrastructures
necessary to maintain a civilized society. This was how older specializations such
as public health and water resources, geotechnics, highway engineering etc
evolved within the residual parent body.

CIVIL ENGINEERING PRACTICE IN NIGERIA

All engineering bodies like the all civil engineering practices are regulated
by COREN (Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria) and the national
umbrella organization that brings all engineers together is the NSE(Nigeria Society
of Engineers).The institution of Civil Engineers is the branch of NSE whisch

brings together all Civil engineers in the entire nation under this body.
.It is the professional body which is geared towards the development of its
members as well as the technological development of the nation. Every student in a
university is also a student member of this body which is expected to be a source
of motivation for student.
The civil engineering practice in Nigeria today, is one that has been
bewildered by unqualified personnels who never studied civil engineering but find
themselves in places of authority, and this make them project managers of civil
engineering projects in the nation. Aside from this corruption is also a bane in the
successful practice of the civil engineering practice as meritocracy and due process
is being compromised in the award of Civil engineering contracts.
This trend is very harmful to the economic stability of our country Nigeria,
since she desires to be one of the leading economies in the nearest future. This is
why the ethics of the practice should be taught and given paramount attention to so
that upcoming civil engineers will uphold the moral ethics of the profession and in
integrity carry out their duties in the practice of the civil engineering profession.
To mitigate this unwholesome practice, COREN should in conjunction with
the government should make policies that will protect civil engineers as a kind of
intellectual right protection where by only Civil engineers are permitted to

undertake all forms of civil engineering projects from the design to its
construction, as well as their maintenance. It is only with these that the role of civil
engineers in nation building can be evident in Nigeria.