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Engineering and Industrial Development in the North: A Critical Perspective By Jibo Nura
Quantity Surveying Unit Faculty of Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
ABSTRACT:
The
issue of engineering and industrial development in
Introduction: The
history of engineering and technology as an industrial development
apparatus in the North is quite astounding. Although over
the last 42 years the Northern soil has seen a lot of
opportunities pass unnoticed but we are yet to identify the focal
points, which can position us well in order to reach the technological,
economic and even social zenith. What we are witnessing today is just a
repetition of opaque processes that will never allow us to
differentiate, which moment is good and which one is ominous. It
is an established fact that engineering, science and technology are the
bed rock of industrialisation and development. No country or region has
achieved appropriate economic and industrial development without input
from the development of technology and science. The state of Northern
state’s industrial sector requires much improvement as the low level
of activity in engineering and technology has negative impact on it. Generally
speaking, Northern states have neglected engineering and technology for
a very long time. Schools have been derilicted, teachers allowed to
waste away and industries have collapsed due to the harsh economic
climate. The
higher educational institutions and research centres should have
provided necessary guidance and solutions to the nation’s poor
technological and scientific development. This has not been so due to
the neglect they have received from several successive governments. The
previous and current educational dimensions have witnessed a rapid
increase in the number of universities in This
reminds me of a question by Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, (the former Deputy
Vice Chancellor Administration, A.B.U) during the science and technology
forum on Northern states, in 2002, i.e “How could these institutions
provide the technology and science to move the nation’s economy
forward when their research and development component today is almost
non- existent?” Therefore,
to borrow from the words of Mustapha Ibrahim Chinade that “Given
the quagmire Nigeria and the Northern states are in technologically,
economically and socially, such a vision of Nigeria becoming
technological and industrial through engineering, is in danger of
becoming utopian or philosophical exercise. This, coming from a society
at its nadir with its people at the end of their
tether, we have no option but to attempt to change things
for the better, if only it is both the path of honor and
salvation. This is not to imply in any way that the task will be easy or
the obstacles less formidable. The world is only what we make of it
through our thoughts and actions. It is just an arena of actions, not a
forum of day- dreaming. We have so far failed to live in better
circumstances due to many self-inflicted malaises: poor vision, lack of
conviction, dedication and perseverance; topped by chronic selfishness,
complacency and indolence”. It is believed to be a scholarly view that we can do no better than to start by isolating critical issues and accord them the priority they deserve. Nothing stops us from borrowing freely from the pool of universal wisdom and knowledge, especially in the field of technology and science, as the recently industrialized Asian Tigers have done, to chart a path to our salvation and true independence. Only
then will we be able to create a viable, confident, caring, self reliant
and humane society. It
is in the light of this that this paper in-tended to provide a thorough
analysis of engineering problems as regards to industrial development in
The
issues: Globally,
technology and engineering have been critical in determining the level
of economic development of nations and the level of influence which
nations exercise when dealing with others either regionally or globally.
Yet in Developmental
work and conceptualization of research findings generated within the
country have been totally abandoned (Mani, 1999). This has contributed
to the underdevelopment of various facets of the country’s industrial
freedom and the North in particular. The Nigerian industrial structure
is lopsided and inappropriate. Its current state is rooted deeply in the
character of Nigerian colonial economy and replaced it with a colonial
economic order that is based on large scale dislocation of indigenous
technological development effort. The
crude oil exploitation and export by However,
the identifiable snag in the capital goods import-strategy is the
inability of the government to empower and revitalize indigenous
technology and make scientific participatory effort through
institutional reforms. The Northerners have failed to realize these
injuries, which are inflicted on their body and psyche; hence, they are
ensnared in the bandwagon of neglecting the indigenous technology and
science. They have forgotten the fact that they are a pre- requisite for
transforming a society and empowerment of its economy is central to its
technological and scientific breakthrough. In
this globalised world the most critical variable shaping the dynamics of
international competitiveness is engineering and technological progress.
Industrialisation through modern manufacturing is driven by technology.
In essence, industrialization proceeds with accompanying shift in
production structuring towards productive processes that are more
complex in design and operation; and where this happens, a high rate of
productivity is experienced in all sectors of the economy (Sulaiman,
2002). This is central to the rapid rate of industrialization in the
western world and the unprecedented industrial transformation of The
Northern states, could achieve this within a shorter time if issues are
properly addressed and priorities clearly set. This can be attained
later in the course of this analysis. The
problems: There
are both basic and fundamental problems facing engineering and
industrial development in These
are the basic problems that are hindering engineering, technological and
industrial renaissance in the Northern states. Other fundamental
problems are lack of encouragement and participation of our people in
the running of affairs and development of indigenous engineering
construction and industrial production processes. We have deliberately
refused to encourage our indigenous expatriates. To buttress this fact,
it is not quite improper to share Prof. C.O Folayan’s (the executive
Director of Center for Automotive Design and Development) ‘Nigeria’s
experience’ at the construction stage of Kaduna Refinery between the
70s and 80s, that “I asked the leader of the construction company that
handled the project (Shiyoda) of the number of Nigerians he employed,
his response was just few. Only 20 welders were employed from
This
section concerns some of the North’s natural resources that are left
wasting, especially in the fields of engineering that deals with energy,
transport and hydroelectricity. The Northern states of Nigeria being
home to more than half of the nation’s population, and which
represents about two- thirds of the Nigerian landmass, it is
disheartening to note with dismay that it contributes less than 20% of
the science and technology professionals (Chinade,2002). It has minimal
industrialization and highest number of school dropouts; despite the
fact that God has endowed us with almost everything that we can make use
of. For instance, in the areas of engineering and energy, especially
solar and wind energy, the North could have made remarkable achievements
in these areas. Six hundred (600) watts of solar energy per square meter
for about 11 hours per day on an average, is received by the entire
Northern states, which is one of the highest in the world. If 0.1% of
this sunshine is converted and harnessed at an efficiency of just 1%,
this shall meet almost the entire energy needs of the Northern states (Bugaje,
2002). Solar is also environmentally- friendly and provides a long term
advantage such as reasonable low maintenance cost, low demand for
skilled labour, no fuel costs, and renewability of the energy resource. Practically
speaking, solar can be used to design and develop a photovoltaic powered
lighting (Yahya, Sambo and Sa’idu, 1996). It can as well be utilized
in providing alternative way of producing fresh water by the use of
solar distillation stills (Aliyu and Atiku, 1996). Other applications
include: thermo siphon indirect solar crop dryer, solar water heater,
solar cooker, solar egg hatchery, solar chick- brooder, and solar still,
solar thermal refrigerator and satellite solar power systems (Omosewo ,
2001). On
the issue of wind energy, the North could have used this to maintain its
windmill projects that have been neglected over time. Some of these
projects are wasting away, especially the one at Heipang, near Jos,
which showed that it is very feasible to construct windmills.* Wind is
also a very important energy converter system for electric power
generation and supply. It will be surprising to know that already there
was an extensive research on this by the Nigerian Building and Road
Research Institute, in collaboration with the Department of electrical
engineering, university of Lagos, since 1989 ( see Nig. Journal of solar
energy vol. 8, pg. 273). Of
the conventional energy sources, however, petroleum products shall
continue to dominate the scene for several more decades to come. The
northern states must intensify search for crude oil especially in the *Transport:
Transportation
is another aspect of serious concern. The emphasis here will be on the
roads and railways. If Northern state governors can put their heads
together and resuscitate their railway systems, certain difficulties
will be alleviated (i.e movement of heavy goods and services) and
alternative means of travels will be created. For example, railway
phases such as Wukari- Jalingo, Gombe- Yola and Kano- Katsina, should be
well rehabilitated and linked up with airports and seaports in the
southern part of the country, these should also be linked to our
neighboring countries like Likewise,
the issue of roads, the North stands a better chance of constructing
classical (trans- Saharan) roads that can link it up with other
countries such as
The
Northern states also have an important potential in this sector.
Hydroelectric power if further developed on a large- scale will be the
cheapest source of energy. There is no reason why the Northern states
should not put their heads in partnership on a joint electric power
generation project. They should jointly build a hydroelectric project in
Mambila Plateau of Adamawa or Zungeru that is capable of generating over
4000 kilowatts. This project according to Mallam Ujudud Sheriff has been
on the drawing board since the 1960s. On smaller scale, there is no
reason why the North should not utilize the Tiga Dam and set up a
hydroelectric power scheme. Even if the Northern states will not be able
to get one of the multi- billion Naira Gas Turbines that are all being
established in Ogun state, it is only reasonable that they should begin
to utilize what nature has endowed them with ( Ujudud, 2003). These
are some of the ample opportunities in the North that can either be
deliberately utilized or mischievously refused to search for. *Recommendations:
Based
on the aforementioned, the following can serve as a panacea to our
ailing problems: First,
there is need to establish Raw Materials Research and Development
Council (RMRDC) at both state and grassroots levels, which will be
shouldered with the responsibility of studying and investigating locally
produced equipment and machinery, so as to encourage indigenous
manufactured equipment and plants for raw materials processing and
development. The council should serve as a forum for local manufacturers
to show cases their products for possible patronage by investors and
industrialists. And this can only be done by creating awareness and
market for locally manufactured equipment and machinery, in order to
build high capacity for indigenous tech. The council should also create
an enabling environment where researchers and research institutes can
participate and produce something that can be commercialized to other
neighboring states and countries. As technology policy expert, Banji
Oyelawan suggests strongly that effort should be laid on local research
efforts, and that technology transfer should not be treated in isolation
of indigenous research efforts. The two must marry each other as
‘husband and wife’ in perfect harmony. Secondly,
there must be need to create an atmosphere where engineers can interact
with local artisans for mutual benefits. The quality of the present crop
of engineers in the Northern states and Thirdly,
the North must intensify effort of reinvigorating its energy research
institutes, especially the ones at Sokoto and Fourthly,
since it’s crystal clear that the gap in engineering, technology and
science between the Northern and the Southern states is widening every
day, there is need for a massive training scheme in our state technical
and science schools boards. The Northern elites must try harder to
implement earlier resolutions passed by various fora on the
resuscitation of science and technical education in the Northern states.
We should learn from the old Fifth,
I recommend the book “science, Technology and the Northern states”,
published in year 2002 by the Science and Technical Forum (STF). The
book (a 60 pages events), is an essential tool for Northern policy
makers, elites and concerned indigenes, who have the interest of the
North at heart. Consequently,
the North’s engineering, technology and Industrial policy should aim
at promoting economic development along a definite and conceived path.
The thrust of the policy should be utilized on North’s natural, human
and material resources endowment to transform the North into an
industrial giant within a decade through creating harmony in the quest
for knowledge about environment through research and the use of that to
secure better quality of life for our people. Until
and unless our focus and bearing is centered on this, the North will
continue to be relegated politically, economically and socially from the
scheme of Nigerian things. ____________
Reference: 1.
Osita,
A. (2002) “Science and technology in 2.
Mustapha,
A. (2002) “Forward address”. Science, Technology and the Northern
states, 3.
Mani, M. (1999) “We have got the
potentials”. The A.B.U Chemical engineer”, July 1999, 4.
Sulaiman, K.I (2002)
“Industrialisation and the New world order, prospects and problems”.
The Unibello engineer, September 2002, Ramk publ. 5.
Chinade,
I.M (2002) “State of science and technology in the Northern states of 6.
The Nigerian
Universities Engineering Students’ Association, A.B.U, 7.
Bugaje, I.M (2002) “Fuel and
Energy”. Science, technology and the Northern states. 8.
Omosewo,
E.A (2001) “A proposal for inclusion of solar energy and its
applications in 9.
The Directory of
Renewable Energy Research and Development activities in 10.
Ujudud, S. (2003) “Agenda for Northern Governors”. Daily Trust, June
10th publ. |