They are not competent. They are more/lessTechnicians calling themselves Engineers.

wots ur beef with nigerian engineers ishmael, agreed nigerian engineers might be slightly incompetent 4 obvious reasons such as been taught outdated courses and not going to the field to practice. check stats when nigerian engineers go abroad they always trounce their counterparts from elsewhere. the way forward is reviewing engineering syllabus with what is obtainable globally and field involvement should also be emphasized.

kayzed:

wots your beef with nigerian engineers ishmael, agreed nigerian engineers might be slightly incompetent 4 obvious reasons such as been taught outdated courses and not going to the field to practice. check stats when nigerian engineers go abroad they always trounce their counterparts from elsewhere. the way forward is reviewing engineering syllabus with what is obtainable globally and field involvement should also be emphasized.

Yes o, i ve so many problems with nigerian Engineers. one of the problem is that they don't know what engineering is and as such behave like Technicians; and that is why they have not been able to engineer any thing good in nigeria. Or you think Engineering is about repairing faulty machines and all that??

Tell me one good thing that Engineers in Nigeria have engineered??

kayzed:

wots your beef with nigerian engineers ishmael, agreed nigerian engineers might be slightly incompetent 4 obvious reasons such as been taught outdated courses and not going to the field to practice. check stats when nigerian engineers go abroad they always trounce their counterparts from elsewhere. the way forward is reviewing engineering syllabus with what is obtainable globally and field involvement should also be emphasized.

where is this stats? hmm no wonder Nigerians are in high demand home and abroad

tascoray:

Please fellow Nairalanders, Why do we have more Foreigners [color=#990000]expert in the Niger-Delta than their Nigerian counterparts?
Also, Why should our Engineers be sent abroad for further acquisition of knowledge on Engineering? Are Nigerian engineers not competent? If yes what are the reasons?[/color]

experts, that's what they are, they(those not being used to siphon money by governors) usually have portfolios of COMPLETED PROJECT, they know how to package their work, they have very good experience in winning contracts and they also have financial backing from banks

@ALL.

Its a big pity dat our leaders are not seeing anything wrong with the moral decadence and the great doom that has eaten deep into most professional fields in Nigeria.

Banks now get the best of all fields to work on the streets as MARKETERS.

Ask what consulting Quantity survey firms , Mechanical &Electrical engineers firms, ARCHI, etc pay their staff! you will be amazed. Peanuts! meanwhile there colleagues @ banks, finance houses etc go home with fortunes.

Nigeria ENGINEERs not been competent as required is not the problem of the engineers. But the problem of the GOVERNMENT and the regulating bodies.

I think it is all about how you define engineering, it is ofcus not about repairing faulty machines.
I just got job with a multinational company caoming into nigeria for the first time, they were so impressed
the way i presented myself and answer the questions. i have never been trained abroad all my studies were here in nigeria. i just recieved my offer and going for a special training in poland and denmark for 6ix month, BUT IT WASNT EASY, THANKS

@Ahmadtjk
Nigerian graduates are generally OK. I know if you compare what it takes to have a 2-2 in a Nigerian university to what it obtains in the world you will know

Tell naiaralanders about the company as they may want to join you at the company.

peace!

Hi,
i am just here to tell u that Nigerian Engineers are very good ok.I am one ok,i know i am competent and can hold my own anywhere.If not ask Schlumberger,Shell,Mobil why they empoly Nigerian Engineers

NIGERIAN ENGINEERS R BETTER THAN MANY FOREIGN ENGINEERS. THIS IS NOT because I ATTENDED A FED POLY AND FED UNI, BUT I HAVE WORKED IN SOME FOREIGN ENGINEERING COMPANIES LIKE CHINESE CIVIL ENGG CONST CO @ ABUJA. D PPLE WE CALL COMPETENT FOREIGN ENGRS ARE MERE SKILLED LABOURERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES. BESIDES, D RIGOURS WE PASS THRU 2B QUALIFIED, D STRIKES WE SURVIVED, SUCH R SIMILAR 2 THINGS OBTAINABLE ON SITES. AS FOR BUILDING COLLAPSE, GO CHECK IT, QUARKS -NOT ENGINEERS R RESPONSIBLE!

thumbs up father ab, nigerian engineers are good anywhere they find themselves. i think those who are ignorant should know the difference between an engineer, technologist & a technician before contributing to this topic. the so called expatriates that are worshipped in nigeria are mere laborers thats d reason they can't stay at home but become demi-gods in nigeria u know the nigerian mentality of foreigners even when they are not qualified. NIGERIAN ENGINEERS WILL ALWAYS PROVE THEMSELVES ANYWHERE ANYDAY. I for one did IT with the so called expatriates at JULIUS BERGER & nothing was special about them.

Its not that our engineers are not competent so to say but they are lacking in some areas…… . It is a fact that our educational system is failing and the whole world knows it. No business man, in his right thinking sense, will want to employ such people to man such sensitive areas. It is not that their foreign counterpart  have seven heads or something , in fact Nigerians are one of the most intellectual people in the world however things just don’t add up for them. I work for a US based firm of engineers and I have seen them in action, the tools they use, the way they think, it’s quite different to what our engineers can do. But I must warn you - our engineers are capable of much greater things given the right training/atmosphere.

And like some contributors have rightly said ,98% of the guys that come to naija as expatriates skilled labores.Most of them only have High school education and then undergo apprenticeship .Our people need to stop seeing oyinbo people as gods because they are white.

Now what do you guys think can be done to solve this problem? As in to raise the standard of our engineers worldwide.

Better we say Nigerian Technicians are competent.

i think ishmael needs a dictionary so he could differentiate between a technician and an engineer. to the solution. curriculum of engineering in nigerian universities should be overhauled to meet global standards and also empahasis should be placed on practicals also finally engineering firms should be more willing to train engineering graduates.

@ All.

There is a clear diffrence between an engineer, a technologist, a technician and a craftmen. For the fact that some Craftmen( auotmechanic,electrician,or even welders) regard themselves as ENGINEERS doesn't make them one. There is a body COREN that regulates Engineering Profession in Nigeria and till today they renew yearly the list of registered Engineers. So if you doubt the competency of any Engineer you can confirm with them.

@ Poster,

To answer your question, NIGERIA ENGINEERS ARE COMPETENT.

kayzed:

i think ishmael needs a dictionary so he could differentiate between a technician and an engineer. to the solution. curriculum of engineering in nigerian universities should be overhauled to meet global standards and also empahasis should be placed on practicals also finally engineering firms should be more willing to train engineering graduates.

I too think you need a dictionary; this time around not to differentiate between a Technician and an Engineer, but to know what Engineering is; who an Engineer is and what an Engineer does.

For God's sake the people in Nigeria you call Engineers don't do any Engineering job. All they do is fixing, repairs and maintenance. They have never Engineered anything to qualify them to be called Engineers. Engineers engineer or create new things and not fixing and repairing of old and existing things.

Thank God you even agreed that the Engineering curriculum in Nigeria needs to be overhauled to meet global standards in Engineering; meaning Nigeria has not been producing Engineers, of course because there is nothing to show that they are good and competent. Nigerian Engineers in Nigeria have the Engineering Degrees but they are not competent Engineers.

Tell me one thing that Nigerian Engineers in Nigeria have Engineered??

They are more or less Technicians doing fixing and repairs; and fixing and repairs does nt make one an Engineer, rather it makes you a Technician; a competent Technician.

Or do you think fixing and repairs make one a competent Engineer?? if it does then Auto-Mechanics/Technicians, Plant Mechanics/Technicians, Electrical and Electronic Technicians, Computer and Network Technicians would all be calling themselves Engineers too because they repair and fix very well too.

@ishmael

Are you an engineer? Or Did you read Engineering? or are you an engineer turned banker? Answer my questions First before i know what to say!

No, i'm not an Engineer. I'm a Technician because i ve never engineered anything before, but i fix and repair very well.

People like Ishmael are clueless and have the environmental perception of who an engineer is or what an engineer does
The Nigerian Engineer has been called several names; Air-conditioned engineer, Theoretical engineer,
Arm chair engineer including Coat wearing engineer. Forgetting that engineering is about the use of brain as
against 'brawl' the society (Nigerian Society) does not have regard for any intellectual or creative work.

There are damn good engineers practising in all engineering facets in Nigeria and worldwide.
If you are ignorant about who an engineer is, how would you know what he/she does?

oldie:

People like Ishmael are clueless and have the environmental perception of who an engineer is or what an engineer does
The Nigerian Engineer has been called several names; Air-conditioned engineer, Theoretical engineer,
Arm chair engineer including Coat wearing engineer. Forgetting that engineering is about the use of brain as
against 'brawl' the society (Nigerian Society) does not have regard for any intellectual or creative work.

There are damn good engineers practising in all engineering facets in Nigeria and worldwide.
If you are ignorant about who an engineer is, how would you know what he/she does?

Mister know all. How many computer microchips and hard drives have our computer engineers designed and developed?? How many transistors and capacitors have our electonic engineers designed and developed?? How many injectors and carburetors have our Automobile engineers designed and developed?? Tell me one house and bridge our civil engineers designed and built that has not collapsed?? just to ask a few. Please just tell us one thing that Nigerian Engineers in Nigeria have designed and developed and people are using today? They are meant to be engineers anyway, but they are not Engineers because all they do in Nigeria is fixing and repairing; competing with Technicians.

please goto google and type the word[b] engineer [/b] to know more about who an engineer is and what he does.

ishmael:

How many computer microchips and hard drives have our computer engineers designed and developed?? How many transistors and capacitors have our electonic engineers designed and developed?? How many injectors and carburetors have our Automobile engineers designed and developed?? Tell me one house and bridge our civil engineers designed and built that has not collapsed?? just to ask a few.
please goto google and type the word[b] engineer [/b] to know more about who an engineer is and what he does.

The more you write, the more you show how little you know about engineering and the Nigerian engineers
Either you are fighting your own personal battle or you are being mischievious

N.B - Pls lets make the discussion very civil and polite!

@oldie

why should i be mischievious?? I'm only saying the truth. You are only trying to be a patriotic Nigerian thats all. Come out and say the truth jo.

@ishmael.

No, i'm not an Engineer. I'm a Technician because i ve never engineered anything before, but i fix and repair very well.

Its great to here that you are a TECHNICIAN. You will need to go to a University to study Engineering follow through the modules to become a pupil Engineer. Your efforts for another 4years will qualify you to go for a COREN registration and if you are able to PASS then you become a registered Engineer in NIGERIA. That will cost you another **yrs .

Untill then. , You may not know What it means to be an ENGINEER in NIGERIA. Its not that the ENGINEERING profession is free of challenges But those challenges are the common type that affects different areas in the Country's economy.

You are one of those Nigerians dat get inferior and freaking deceived at a white man's ability. Some of these guys i have worked with has got nothing better than you. Nigerians are all over the world doing greatly in Engineering. My brother So instead of downgrading your self to be a TECHNICIAN why not try and invent something and stop maintenace-fix or repair as you said you do.

The Government is BAD, Our Educational sector is dropping in standard everyday BUT what are we doing ourselves to improve. ASK YOURSELF SOME QUESTIONS, Speak for yourself alone and dont say woo about Nigeria Engineers.


I

If you are a competent Engineer, what have you been able to design and develop?? See the truth is that our environment does not make Nigerian Engineers to seen as competent.

ishmael:

@oldie

You are only trying to be a patriotic Nigerian thats all. Come out and say the truth jo.

You cannot be more critical than myself about the standards of our engineering graduates.
I employ and train some.
Some are bad, so also some are very good
But do not generalize and ridicule the Nigerian engineers
Oh by the way, I am an engineer

ishmael:

See the truth is that our environment does not make Nigerian Engineers to seen as competent.

Now we are now reading from the same page!
This is not peculiar to the Nigerian engineers, it affects all professions including technicians
Most of the problems we (professionals) face, are systemic and environmental

@oldie

We are still saying the samething; that is, they are not competent. They have not lived up to expectations. How many machines or machine parts have they designed and built, that people are using?? It is what oyibo people have built that they try to learn how to fix and repair when ever there is a problem or fault; is that what we call engineering?? the engineering i know is about using scientific and mathematical knowledge to design and create new things and not fixing and repairing.

@ishmael.


Try and make it simple! Tell us what you intend to do to make a NIGERIAN ENGINEER competent in your own context!

peace!

Our Engineering curriculum should be overhauled to meet global standards.

Our Lecturers should try and update their engineering skills and knowlegde.

Government should give more attention and invest more in engineering.

first of all like so many nigerians , ishmael does not have the first idea what engineering is about.

i am an engineer. i have worked in power , building services, and i'm currently in an oil and gas company.

i am an electrical engineer by training. i have worked on transmission upgrade projects for PHCN( when it was NEPA), facilities projects for MTN, and enginnering pojects for my current employer.

i spent a year in a leading engineering consulting firm, and i can tell you, everything oyibos do, we did in that firm. the real problems facing engineers in nigeria are as follows

1) nigerians do not value brain work.

engineering is NOT when you see someone putting up a bridge, or laying a cable. that is construction. engineering is when you sit at your computer and agonise for hours, designing the bridge, calculating the materials , the project schedule, trying to capture all the possible issues that might come up. it is supervising the project and trying to ensure that the contractors keep to your design. it is arguments with your client, who wants to beleive that a job that costs 20million can be done for 15 million. however, for your typical nigerian, engineering is the construction worker you see working on the bridge. you visit a ttypical nigerian client with drawings, schedules, etc, and he more or less is not intersted. he thinks its all about building a bridge. he will say, what is all this paper you are showing me

2) nigerians love to cut corners.

you tell a client this will cost n20 million. he says no, do it for n15 million. you know it is not technically possible, but the man insists. even if you refuse to do the project, he will always find someone who will do it for that price, cutting corners everywhere - you specified explosion proof lights- don't worry, we can use waterproof lights instead. so many failed projects occur because a client thought he could get champagne for the price of beer

3) impositions

as an engineer, your final job is only as good as the contractor you use. but too often, the cliet has his own contractor who he imposes on you. the conractor may not even have en engineering background - his recommendation is based on his relationship with the client. so, you have an incompetent contractor who is out of your control

3) too many quacks in the industry

a sharp drafter or technicin, can pick up a lot of the jargon and some rote skills. this may be enough to prepare contract documentation that tyhe client is not trained to access. i have alraedy stated that clients don't want to spend money. you often find them employing drafters to 'design' engineering projects. all the drafetr will do is copy and paste from engineering projects in his employers organisation. its easy to copy what you don't understand. too easy. also, a lot of engineers are guilty of the same thing, copyig designs they do not understand, and presenting them to clients.

4) remuneration
to keep up with the rest of the world is expensive. as an engineer, you have to keep retraining yourself. this adds to overhead. however, in nigeria, it is a buyers market. so many of the big companies mobil, mtn , etc, pay peanuts ( compared to fees they would pay abroad) because they can get away with it. there was actually a time when a client decide to use a foreign consultant rather than my previous employer, but they found the cost too much. they came back to us.

cerainly, engineering in nigeria has a few issues, but i believe there is very little that nigerian engineers cannot do given the OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES of their western counterparts.

finally, you may not know it, but a lot of the so called expatriate engineers are often technicians/graduates of technical schools.

@oyb

Pls read all my previous posts and tell me where i ever said it is the work of engineers to carry out constuction work or repairs and fixing. I have been emphasizing that Engineers design and develop new things while Technicians fix and repair. The problem we have in Nigeria you and other Engineers have not designed anything for Nigeria. Most of you do fixing and repairs which is the duty of Technicians.