Nigerian Engineeers Can’t Compete Globally – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari today said that Nigerian engineers have lost global competitiveness due to the absence of an updated engineering curriculum, as well of the absence of critical engineering training infrastructure in institutions of learning nationwide.

Represented by the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, Buhari also stated that Nigeria was in dire need of new engineering technologies to improve the country’s infrastructure development.

This he said while speaking at the 27th Engineering Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN.

He noted that the absence of infrastructure in most engineering faculties up to our universities, that complement theoretical teaching with practical knowledge, had created a wide deficit in the quality of Nigeria’s engineering products.

He also said this is of concern as it affects Nigerians general as they get poor quality services from poorly trained and unqualified engineers, stating that wherever there was a collapse of infrastructure anywhere in Nigeria, be it building or bridge, everyone is left to count the losses.

“Similarly, the absence of up to date engineering curriculum to reflect the current global trends in engineering, has drastically reduced the competitiveness of our engineers. There is a deserving gap between engineers trained in Nigeria and those trained abroad. There is the need for our universities to turn out quality and world grade professionals,” he explained.

Buhari further stated that a nation without engineering would not develop, while noting that he is desperate to see the development of engineering training and practice in Nigeria and through it, a better living for all Nigerians.

Buhari emphasized the need to upgrade the quality of engineering practice in Nigeria and concentrate on the application of modern engineering technology in road construction, power, manufacturing, and housing among others.

He said, “New engineering technologies are also needed to improve services in agriculture, transportation and power sectors, particularly to revamp our power generation, transmission and distribution, as well as our metering system.

“It is in the light of this that I wish to appreciate the effort of COREN in the review of the engineering curriculum for undergraduate training in Nigerian universities.”