Apart from a few self tutored individuals who have let loose their minds to help solve problems peculiar to the Nigerian society, how many Nigerian engineering graduates can boast of being a Nigeria’s problem solver?

To say Nigeria’s problem today is nuclear power generation will be hyper-tasking the already ill-equipped engineer. Focusing solely on power generation has left many other problems unattended to. Leaving the issue of power totally, as issues bordering around it are just as much (if not more) political as technical incompetence, there are simple problems facing the man on the street other than gigantic national challenges. These problems are simple and as such require simple solutions. Simple solutions which have been overlooked in our engineers training processes.

Our engineers while in training are so lost in the euphoria of solving complex mathematical problems that on graduation can’t be trusted enough to (just) neatly weld leaving us to import those metal shades at our traffic junctions. The ankle length made in China rain boots no longer fit for use in our thigh reaching floods. Literacy level in Nigeria hasn’t risen quite much since they (the engineers) left for school and so we wouldn’t mind having a smart phone that understands pidgin English. These are only a few challenges many Nigeria made Engineers can help with while we wait to have the mystery behind power generation unraveled.

Readers, while I encourage you to participate actively in channeling a way forward, I do employ you to mention skills a typical Nigerian engineering graduate should possess to be a part of Nigeria’s problem solvers.

I am a member of an internet based Nigerian Engineering Network. A meeting point for Nigerian engineers in the Diaspora, the industry and the academia. Membership is free. Just register following this link www.engineer-ng.net. Exciting engineering articles are published, school and work projects discussed and engineering jobs also advertised.

Truth be told the current crop of Nigerian engineers have a limited amount of technical knowledge. most of them end up in other industries because they feel Nigeria has nothing to offer engineers. everybody wants to work in one of the big oil companies... nobody wants to be an entrepreneur.

Great thought well articulated. It's alarming how the rush for I.T skills have overshadowed the need for technical competence. I think our engineering curriculum should cover extensively technical skills like welding, plumbing and even carpentry. As unTwentyFirst centuristic as these skills may appear, they are skills we want to see in our Engineers. Who dare to not trust both the technical and managerial competence of a graduate welder?

I also like that site. I'm in. Good job.