well-known fact that when the average Nigerian undergraduate studying Engineering is asked what path of career to choose from after leaving school, the person echoes “Oil/gas”. When you ask the person the reason for choosing that path, they have various reasons majorly being the pay for entry level is very attractive and other reasons like “the stress in the oil/gas industries is not much compared to other professions. Imagine sitting in the office most times doing nothing and at the end of the month, your phone rings and you see alert of N1.2m. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live the good life? Hahaha!!!” and it gets you wondering what good life? Is it a life where you provide your own water supply, your own security, your own electricity etc.? Is that what one terms a good life?
From the above, one wonders if the only branch of Engineering being studied in Nigeria is Petroleum Engineering. In my varsity, there are various branches which include – Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics, Civil, Chemical, Computer, Petroleum and Production Engineering. The same can be said of other universities in Nigeria as some offer other branches of Engineering in addition to the above. If various branches of Engineering is being offered, then why the oil/gas mentality? We have so focused in the oil/gas industries thereby leaving other branches to go comatose.
According to Wikipedia, Engineering is defined thus “Engineering (from Latin ingenium, meaning "cleverness" and ingeniare, meaning "to contrive, devise"wink is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes”. From the above definition, it is seen that Engineering goes beyond the oil/gas industries.
Here is an excerpt from Greatman5’s post and I quote –
“There is the popular saying that, "You are what you eat." Same way, a nation is what its engineering or technology is. So, you can easily see the reason why Nigeria is like this.”
He also goes ahead to say
“Engineering is akin to the 'man behind the orchestra'. He conducts and dictates the melodious symphony of the orchestra. He doesn't play any instruments and so, doesn't get noticed. However, without him, there would be no orchestra and the performance would be a total fiasco and in disarray. The engineer stays in the design office thinking of how to make the world a better place for all. Engineering is the singular profession that has impacted our world the most; by using the almighty power of mathematics, engineering has completely changed our world for good. All professions look up to engineering for their own development (medicine and law inclusive). If you take engineering/technology away from medicine, doctors would become mere herbalists or native doctors - without syringes, stethoscope and all medical devices, there would be no modern day medicine. Medicine is what it is today; thanks to engineering. If you take engineering/technology away from legal practice, lawyers would become mere hearsayers as there would be no credible means of evidence to support their cases. Take technology away from banking, transportation, tourism, agriculture, business, entertainment, etc.., and the world would become dark, void and shapeless again, as it were in the beginning according to the scriptures.
Engineering holds all other professions together. Engineering is what makes a nation 'developed' or 'under-developed'. No nation can be great because of medicine, if the nation's engineering is poor. Nations can only be great because of its advanced engineering and technology. The major achievements of the world are all engineering achievements: things like putting man on the moon; a robot on Mars; the international space station, the airplane; the internet; rocket, submarines, etc..”
(Apologies to my friends in the Medical fields. I mean no disrespect to your noble profession).
Looking at Mechanical Engineering for example as that is my field, there are fields to specialize in like Robotics, Aerospace, Aeronautics, Energy, Automobile, Automotive, Marine etc. but you wonder why we do not have so many firms that focus on the above listed. Just recently, India joined the leagues of nations that have sent space probes to Mars and you wonder, where are the Mechanical Engineers in Nigeria? This same country also make various machines and export to nations and it was not long they started doing all these. USA has the likes of NASA, Boeing and other Engineering firms not related to the oil/gas industry. Japan the same with Toyota, Nissan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries etc. What about South Korea? We use their product Hyundai and they also design and build ships for nations. These are just few examples and they all have one thing in common, they are not related to the oil/gas industries. What crime is it if we as Mechanical Engineers come together and create our technology to match our climate while designing also, for other nations?
We may cite Innoson, ANAMCO and other firms the government has allowed to set up industries in Nigeria as examples but is that enough? We are well aware of the power issues we face as a nation. Energy development is still in its infancy stage in the country so why must we kill ourselves looking for a career in the oil/gas industry? Energy is the second most lucrative industry in the world after oil/gas so whatever happened to advancing this sector? This is time for us to come together and develop our power sector instead of relying on others to do so for us. We have the resources to push for constant power supply and other means of using energy but why is it not so? What of the ergonomics aspect of Engineering? Or do we think the way we seat and relax aren’t thought about? The chairs we use in the office, who do we think design them?
How about having firms in Nigeria that can rival that of Lockheed Martins, Rolls-Royce and co? Producing just engines to power automobiles (planes, cars, trains etc.) could employ nothing less than 10, 000. If opportunities abound in these, why do we rush for the oil/gas industries? Is it wrong to have a stake in the International Space Station? We always want to work in the oil/gas industry forgetting that some of the equipment needed there is designed and manufactured by the Mechanical Engineers. Just some days ago, we heard of the Dockwise Blue Marlin and opened our mouths in awe. Was that vessel not built by Engineers who saw a need for improving the transportation of water bodies instead of wanting to work in the oil/gas industry?
We should also not forget the bio-medical field where equipment like Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI, CT, Ultrasound machine, X-ray machine, Anesthetic machine etc. are designed to specifications, taking into consideration the materials to be used for the above since it deals with life which are all manufactured by the different branches of Engineering (components like the controls, the nuts, bolts, gears, shafts, the programming aspect of it, the micro-controllers to be embedded etc.)
Coming down to other fields like Elect/Elect, Computer and others, is it a crime if Nigeria is known to produce the best chips, processors and fiber optics cables in the world? When are we going to have our own Silicon Valley? What about having a large conglomerate like Schneider? What about aspiring to be like Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer etc.? We all use their phone – Samsung, even argue about how it is better than Nokia and we are yet to make one. I have a friend, my set mate who is already thinking of setting up her own electronics firm and believe me, with dedication to it, she’s going to be big.
The Civil Engineering in Nigeria is one field I must commend as they have tried as can be seen in the various constructions they are involved in but it still not enough. I believe we can still take this branch of Engineering higher by designing and constructing buildings that will make the world wow at our structures.
There was a topic I created about students’ inventions and check all; none has to do with oil/gas. What they all invented is something the world will come to later appreciate; inventions like 3D nail polish, the odorless toilet, the spidey suit, the gel that stops blood flow, the nail polish that tells if your drink is spiked etc. and they are all undergraduates.
Most times, we tend to insult our brothers across the Niger River but most are self-employed and not roaming the streets with this oil/gas mentality making things that we need. Things ranging from clothes to shoes to spare parts (we say it is substandard but have we ever thought of getting into this business and forming a firm while raising production to international standards instead of castigating them? I am not encouraging substandard products by the way).
And do not get me started with the supposed Engineering bodies – COREN and NSE of which I honestly do not see their functions in Nigeria except to depend on government handout and bribe while forgetting their primary function which is to advance Engineering in Nigeria. I have not seen or heard of any event being sponsored by them to aid students’ interest in the field of Engineering. Check the contents of both websites and tell me what you think. Check the contents of the Energy Dept. of Nigeria. No news on innovation except the never-ending promises of the government.
If we really must advance Engineering in Nigeria, we need to do away with the mentality of working only in the oil/gas industry and focus on other aspects of Engineering that will help us solve the numerous problems we as a nation have; which will put us in the developed nations of the world while according us the respect we deserve and this in turn will make our African brothers pick up and realize their potentials reducing wars and dependency on aids being offered us by nations.
N.B: Apologies for any typos here as this was written under the influence of garri and egusi soup. Also, for anything I am ignorant about in the above write-up, please, do correct me as I am still acquiring knowledge. Then again, I am not generalizing in the above write-up neither am I saying one should not work in the oil/gas sector because every branch of Engineering is needed in the sector. Thank you.
well-known fact that when the average Nigerian undergraduate studying Engineering is asked what path of career to choose from after leaving school, the person echoes “Oil/gas”. When you ask the person the reason for choosing that path, they have various reasons majorly being the pay for entry level is very attractive and other reasons like “the stress in the oil/gas industries is not much compared to other professions. Imagine sitting in the office most times doing nothing and at the end of the month, your phone rings and you see alert of N1.2m. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live the good life? Hahaha!!!” and it gets you wondering what good life? Is it a life where you provide your own water supply, your own security, your own electricity etc.? Is that what one terms a good life?
From the above, one wonders if the only branch of Engineering being studied in Nigeria is Petroleum Engineering. In my varsity, there are various branches which include – Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics, Civil, Chemical, Computer, Petroleum and Production Engineering. The same can be said of other universities in Nigeria as some offer other branches of Engineering in addition to the above. If various branches of Engineering is being offered, then why the oil/gas mentality? We have so focused in the oil/gas industries thereby leaving other branches to go comatose.
According to Wikipedia, Engineering is defined thus “Engineering (from Latin ingenium, meaning "cleverness" and ingeniare, meaning "to contrive, devise"wink is the application of scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain, and improve structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes”. From the above definition, it is seen that Engineering goes beyond the oil/gas industries.
Here is an excerpt from Greatman5’s post and I quote –
“There is the popular saying that, "You are what you eat." Same way, a nation is what its engineering or technology is. So, you can easily see the reason why Nigeria is like this.”
He also goes ahead to say
“Engineering is akin to the 'man behind the orchestra'. He conducts and dictates the melodious symphony of the orchestra. He doesn't play any instruments and so, doesn't get noticed. However, without him, there would be no orchestra and the performance would be a total fiasco and in disarray. The engineer stays in the design office thinking of how to make the world a better place for all. Engineering is the singular profession that has impacted our world the most; by using the almighty power of mathematics, engineering has completely changed our world for good. All professions look up to engineering for their own development (medicine and law inclusive). If you take engineering/technology away from medicine, doctors would become mere herbalists or native doctors - without syringes, stethoscope and all medical devices, there would be no modern day medicine. Medicine is what it is today; thanks to engineering. If you take engineering/technology away from legal practice, lawyers would become mere hearsayers as there would be no credible means of evidence to support their cases. Take technology away from banking, transportation, tourism, agriculture, business, entertainment, etc.., and the world would become dark, void and shapeless again, as it were in the beginning according to the scriptures.
Engineering holds all other professions together. Engineering is what makes a nation 'developed' or 'under-developed'. No nation can be great because of medicine, if the nation's engineering is poor. Nations can only be great because of its advanced engineering and technology. The major achievements of the world are all engineering achievements: things like putting man on the moon; a robot on Mars; the international space station, the airplane; the internet; rocket, submarines, etc..”
(Apologies to my friends in the Medical fields. I mean no disrespect to your noble profession).
Looking at Mechanical Engineering for example as that is my field, there are fields to specialize in like Robotics, Aerospace, Aeronautics, Energy, Automobile, Automotive, Marine etc. but you wonder why we do not have so many firms that focus on the above listed. Just recently, India joined the leagues of nations that have sent space probes to Mars and you wonder, where are the Mechanical Engineers in Nigeria? This same country also make various machines and export to nations and it was not long they started doing all these. USA has the likes of NASA, Boeing and other Engineering firms not related to the oil/gas industry. Japan the same with Toyota, Nissan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries etc. What about South Korea? We use their product Hyundai and they also design and build ships for nations. These are just few examples and they all have one thing in common, they are not related to the oil/gas industries. What crime is it if we as Mechanical Engineers come together and create our technology to match our climate while designing also, for other nations?
We may cite Innoson, ANAMCO and other firms the government has allowed to set up industries in Nigeria as examples but is that enough? We are well aware of the power issues we face as a nation. Energy development is still in its infancy stage in the country so why must we kill ourselves looking for a career in the oil/gas industry? Energy is the second most lucrative industry in the world after oil/gas so whatever happened to advancing this sector? This is time for us to come together and develop our power sector instead of relying on others to do so for us. We have the resources to push for constant power supply and other means of using energy but why is it not so? What of the ergonomics aspect of Engineering? Or do we think the way we seat and relax aren’t thought about? The chairs we use in the office, who do we think design them?
How about having firms in Nigeria that can rival that of Lockheed Martins, Rolls-Royce and co? Producing just engines to power automobiles (planes, cars, trains etc.) could employ nothing less than 10, 000. If opportunities abound in these, why do we rush for the oil/gas industries? Is it wrong to have a stake in the International Space Station? We always want to work in the oil/gas industry forgetting that some of the equipment needed there is designed and manufactured by the Mechanical Engineers. Just some days ago, we heard of the Dockwise Blue Marlin and opened our mouths in awe. Was that vessel not built by Engineers who saw a need for improving the transportation of water bodies instead of wanting to work in the oil/gas industry?
We should also not forget the bio-medical field where equipment like Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI, CT, Ultrasound machine, X-ray machine, Anesthetic machine etc. are designed to specifications, taking into consideration the materials to be used for the above since it deals with life which are all manufactured by the different branches of Engineering (components like the controls, the nuts, bolts, gears, shafts, the programming aspect of it, the micro-controllers to be embedded etc.)
Coming down to other fields like Elect/Elect, Computer and others, is it a crime if Nigeria is known to produce the best chips, processors and fiber optics cables in the world? When are we going to have our own Silicon Valley? What about having a large conglomerate like Schneider? What about aspiring to be like Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer etc.? We all use their phone – Samsung, even argue about how it is better than Nokia and we are yet to make one. I have a friend, my set mate who is already thinking of setting up her own electronics firm and believe me, with dedication to it, she’s going to be big.
The Civil Engineering in Nigeria is one field I must commend as they have tried as can be seen in the various constructions they are involved in but it still not enough. I believe we can still take this branch of Engineering higher by designing and constructing buildings that will make the world wow at our structures.
There was a topic I created about students’ inventions and check all; none has to do with oil/gas. What they all invented is something the world will come to later appreciate; inventions like 3D nail polish, the odorless toilet, the spidey suit, the gel that stops blood flow, the nail polish that tells if your drink is spiked etc. and they are all undergraduates.
Most times, we tend to insult our brothers across the Niger River but most are self-employed and not roaming the streets with this oil/gas mentality making things that we need. Things ranging from clothes to shoes to spare parts (we say it is substandard but have we ever thought of getting into this business and forming a firm while raising production to international standards instead of castigating them? I am not encouraging substandard products by the way).
And do not get me started with the supposed Engineering bodies – COREN and NSE of which I honestly do not see their functions in Nigeria except to depend on government handout and bribe while forgetting their primary function which is to advance Engineering in Nigeria. I have not seen or heard of any event being sponsored by them to aid students’ interest in the field of Engineering. Check the contents of both websites and tell me what you think. Check the contents of the Energy Dept. of Nigeria. No news on innovation except the never-ending promises of the government.
If we really must advance Engineering in Nigeria, we need to do away with the mentality of working only in the oil/gas industry and focus on other aspects of Engineering that will help us solve the numerous problems we as a nation have; which will put us in the developed nations of the world while according us the respect we deserve and this in turn will make our African brothers pick up and realize their potentials reducing wars and dependency on aids being offered us by nations.
N.B: Apologies for any typos here as this was written under the influence of garri and egusi soup. Also, for anything I am ignorant about in the above write-up, please, do correct me as I am still acquiring knowledge. Then again, I am not generalizing in the above write-up neither am I saying one should not work in the oil/gas sector because every branch of Engineering is needed in the sector. Thank you.
