Experts at the Nigerian Society of Engineers’ NSE Annual Business luncheon in Lagos say a shift from theory-based learning to hands-on industrial training is critical to the country’s economic growth,
By Isqil Najim
Nigeria must fundamentally reform how it trains engineers, moving away from classroom theory toward workplace-based learning, experts said at the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ikeja Branch Annual Business Luncheon held in Lagos.
The forum, themed “Nigeria’s Industrial Transformation Through Experiential Learning and Industrial Partnerships,” brought together engineers, industry executives, and academics to examine why the country’s industrial sector continues to underperform despite successive economic reform programmes.
Mrs. ‘Bukola Adubi, Chief Executive of MicCom Cables & Wires Ltd and President of the Cable Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CAMAN), drawing on her experience running a manufacturing operation, told the audience that the shortage of practically skilled graduates was a daily problem in industry.
“In the industry that I run, we are constantly in need of engineers, skilled workers, technical workers,” she said. “What we have found is that we would more likely hire the core technical people — the ones that probably went to technical schools — because they tend to have an understanding of what it is we’re talking about.”
She said many university graduates lack basic hands-on readiness. “A lot of the graduates either don’t even have a clue, or they don’t want to get their hands dirty,” she revealed.
According to her, Nigeria’s industrial sector contributes less than 20% of gross domestic product, citing World Bank data from 2023. She also referenced a 2022 report by the National Bureau of Statistics which found that over 50% of Nigerian graduates are underprepared for modern industrial workplaces.
“The underlying cause is our educational model, which prioritises theoretical memorisation over experiential engagement,” she said.
“A Revolution, Not Just a Transformation”
Adubi said incremental adjustments to the current system would not be sufficient. “The Nigerian industrial sector needs a revolution. It’s not just a transformation. It’s an outright revolution. And it starts from now.”
“It is high time that we stop complaining that the graduates don’t know anything when we are not actually doing anything to help them,” she said, adding that MicCom had begun partnering with universities to offer students practical training during a full machine overhaul at its facility.
From the civil works, the foundations, to the removal, the reinstalling, the piping of the electricals — this is such a beautiful learning moment. Why can’t it be the students? Why can’t it even be some lecturers?” she asked.
Adubi stressed that the most important outcome of hands-on training is not technical skill alone, but the ability to think through problems under pressure. She gave an example from her factory floor.
“They come to me and say the machine has broken down. I say, so what do we do? And they find a solution in-house. Today, they don’t even bother to come and tell me there’s a problem. They say: ‘Madam, there was this issue, but we have solved it.’ That is what experiential knowledge does.”
“We need learned doers, not just degree holders. Because a lot of these guys carry their degrees, their certificates, sometimes even first class, but they don’t know anything — and you can’t entirely blame them. Give them a test and they can write it down. But the real world is sometimes not in the textbooks.”
Adubi presented a set of proposals for reforming engineering education, directing specific responsibilities at two professional bodies — the NSE and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Her proposals included making real-world industrial projects mandatory from the second year of university, rather than waiting until the final year as currently required under the Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). She said the SIWES programme, while well-intentioned, suffers from a mismatch between students’ areas of study and the companies willing to take them.
“Sometimes you find an electrical person working in a firm that isn’t going to particularly help that electrical course,” she said. “There is a mismatch.”
She proposed that COREN develop an industry internship directory to connect students with verified companies in their field, and enforce accreditation standards that make industrial attachment a graduation requirement, not an optional add-on.
For the NSE, she recommended establishing an Industry-Academia Engagement Council and launching a National Innovation Fund to support campus-based innovation hubs where students could work on real industry problems alongside practising engineers.
She also urged industries to formalise their involvement through Memoranda of Understanding with universities. “So that even the industry cannot say ‘I’m not doing this again.’ We are in this together — two years, five years, ten years, however long the industry is happy to commit.”
Adubi said the responsibility does not lie solely with academic institutions or regulators. “Industries must no longer be passive consumers of talent. They must become active co-developers of skills,” she said, calling on companies to co-design curricula, fund applied research in university laboratories, and allow practising engineers to teach as adjunct lecturers.
She cited existing examples of such partnerships, including Siemens’ collaboration with universities on mechatronics and automation training, and Dangote Industries’ work with technical institutions. She said if 100 companies across Nigeria formed similar active partnerships with universities, “it would create a powerful ecosystem that bridges the gap between education and industry, leading to a major industrial boom and a highly skilled workforce.”
She however counselled students to reconsider where they seek placements. “A lot of students would rather work for the big multinationals when they could get better trained working with a local electrician who works all the time,” she said. “The students know the theory — so it would be like a light bulb moment for them, because now they can connect the theory to what they’re seeing.”
“Nigeria’s industrial future will not fall from the sky. It must be engineered — strategically, persistently, innovatively.”
“It is time we start moving from talking to action. We talk about this a lot. Together, we can realise a Nigeria that is globally competitive, economically resilient, and industrially mighty. We have the capacity. We have the people. We have the knowledge. It’s time to bring it all together.” She concluded.