Let’s not stop at getting First Class degrees
One hundred and seventy-eight out of the 5,472 students who graduated from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) during the institution’s recent convocation came out with First Class degrees. That was in itself remarkable. However, something must show for these high-flying honours in terms of inventiveness, creativity and productivity among the graduates. Without converting their degrees […]
One hundred and seventy-eight out of the 5,472 students who graduated from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) during the institution’s recent convocation came out with First Class degrees. That was in itself remarkable. However, something must show for these high-flying honours in terms of inventiveness, creativity and productivity among the graduates. Without converting their degrees into productivity, their academic accomplishments are mere formalities. The effects of First Class degree holders are felt when society is impacted developmentally through them.
It is quite sad, for instance, that Nigeria produces First Class graduates in sciences and engineering; every year, yet we are not productive technologically. We are not manufacturing electronics; no telephone producing factory; no computer factory; no industrial foundry run by our much adored First Class graduates and other exceptionally brilliant citizens.
One major issue responsible for lack of productivity among Nigerian engineers, scientists and certified technicians today is the fact that they are enmeshed in materialism. They want to buy the latest items. Most of them do not want to suffer or sacrifice their time, energy and brains to explore and as a result most of them are not creative.
Let us take the auto industry as an example. The technology used for producing automobiles is more than 100 years old. Yet our engineers, scientists and certified technicians cannot produce vehicles either in commercial quantity or factory prototypes. A student or graduate of engineering dreams of buying a nice car. Is he not ashamed to know that Toyota was a Japanese man without a degree. Also, Peugeot, Yamaha and Honda manufacturers were not First Class graduates, yet they used technology to produce a lot for humanity.
We celebrate excellent brains on graduation every year in our tertiary institutions (including those in foreign lands who return home after their studies abroad), but we have no technological productivity or creativity, let alone invention, to celebrate in their names. That is very sad.
Our technocrats pride themselves in being called Engineers and Scientists, etc; all titles with little or nothing to show for them.
Let us talk to our inner selves, we are not evolving technologically, and the blame is on most of our engineers, scientists and certified technicians who feel contented with their high-grade certificates and shy away from technological productivity.
Our engineers should dream of producing something to help humanity, they should look for what technology (new or adapted) can be used to do. They should replicate already existing technology to produce machines and tools to ease life.
Ganiyu Muhammed Adekunle, [email protected]