At the Shagaya at 80 lecture in Ilorin, energy specialist Dan Kunle and the NSE President warned that Nigeria must weaponize its engineering capacity before the hydrocarbon window slams shut.
By Isqil Najim
Energy policy expert and infrastructure development specialist, Mr. Daniel Dayo Kunle, has warned that Nigeria is racing against a closing window of opportunity, asserting that failure to act decisively now will condemn future generations to inheriting a country rich in resources but poor in development
Dan Kunle, as he is fondly known, gave this warning when he delivered the keynote address aat the 4th Annual Engr. Yusuf Lanre Shagaya Distinguished Lecture Series, held at the Kwara State Banquet Hall in Ilorin.
The high-profile event was attended by dignitaries cutting across Nigeria’s traditional, political, and business leadership. Among them were the Chief Host, Kwara State Governor and Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON; the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III; the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Emir of Ilorin, HRH Alhaji (Dr.) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari; and the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
In his address, Kunle dismantled the assumption that Nigeria’s hydrocarbon abundance automatically translates to national prosperity, insisting that the real gap lies not beneath the ground but in engineering capacity.
“Oil beneath the ground is not wealth. Gas trapped beneath geological formations is not wealth. Undiscovered resources are not wealth. They are merely potential wealth. A nation must first discover resources, quantify them, and develop them before they can contribute to economic growth,” he said.
He acknowledged that while nature had been generous to Nigeria, blessing the country with hydrocarbon deposits spread across its territory, little of that generosity has translated into the daily lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“Resources by themselves do not create development. Human knowledge, technology, innovation, and engineering create development. The difference between a resource and wealth is utilization,” he said.
Nigeria is a Gas Nation
Kunle urged Nigerians to retire the oil-first narrative that has defined the country’s economic identity for decades, stressing that Nigeria’s 210 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves represent a far more transformative strategic asset.
“Nigeria is often described as an oil-producing nation with gas resources. I would argue that Nigeria is fundamentally a gas nation that also produces oil.”
He identified the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline as a critical economic corridor. “What flows through those pipelines is more than fuel. What flows through them is opportunity. What flows through them is industrial development,” he said.
Natural gas, he added, is uniquely positioned to support electricity generation, fertilizer production, petrochemical manufacturing, and large-scale industrial growth — making it the anchor of any credible industrialization strategy for the country.
The Dangote Refinery as National Template
Mr. Kunle cited the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex as the clearest proof of what becomes possible when a nation commits to domestic value addition rather than exporting raw materials.
“The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex stands today as one of the most ambitious industrial engineering achievements undertaken by an African entrepreneur,” Kunle noted. “It demonstrates what becomes possible when engineering, science, technology, finance, and long-term vision are aligned in pursuit of national development.”
“I believe history will accord increasing recognition to achievements of this scale because they expand the frontiers of industrial capability and inspire future generations of engineers and innovators. The future belongs not merely to resource owners. The future belongs to nations with a well-trained pool of talented engineers, scientists, and skilled human capital.”
Kunle called on Nigerian authorities to intensify exploration and strengthen reserve replacement efforts; expand refining and processing capacity; accelerate gas development; strengthen infrastructure; and create stable, predictable policies that attract long-term investment.
He also demanded that the government support innovation, encourage large-scale industrial entrepreneurs, and continue producing the engineers, scientists, and skilled professionals needed to drive national development.
“Government policy should encourage more Nigerians to venture into large-scale resource transformation, manufacturing, processing, infrastructure, and industrial development. The objective is not simply to create successful businesses. The objective is to create national industrial champions capable of transforming the economy.
“The greatest danger facing Nigeria is not merely the possibility of future reductions in hydrocarbon demand. The greater danger is failing to utilize these resources while they remain strategically valuable. Every year of delay carries a cost. History rarely rewards nations that fail to act when opportunity presents itself.
“Future generations will not judge us by the quantity of hydrocarbons beneath our soil. When future historians examine this period in Nigeria’s development journey, they are unlikely to focus solely on the resources we possessed. They will focus on what we built with them — the institutions we created, the infrastructure we developed, and the industrial platforms we established. The opportunity is before us. It will not remain forever. The responsibility is ours. The time to act is now,” he said.
“The opportunity is before us. It will not remain forever. The responsibility is ours. The time to act is now.” He said.
Earlier in is address, the NSE President Engr. Ali Alimasuya Rabiu, whose address was delivered by Past President Engr. Babagana Mohammed, charged Nigerian engineers to embrace deep ethical responsibility and relentless innovation in confronting the country’s infrastructure deficit. “Let us recommit ourselves to professionalism, integrity, excellence, innovation and service to humanity,” Engr. Rabiu said.
Also speaking, the NSE Ilorin Branch Chairman, Engr. Dr. O. A. Ogunjirin, reinforced the energy imperative, reminding the gathering that endowment without engineering capacity is futile.
“As a nation endowed with abundant energy resources, we must continue to explore sustainable and innovative approaches that will ensure these resources contribute meaningfully to national development and improved quality of life for our people,” he state
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